'Relocation and Leave to Remove - Parliamentary Briefing Report' published December 2009 by The Custody Minefield. Our own report on Leave to Remove and the need to reform family law to better consider and secure child welfare. Foreword by Sir Bob Geldof. This report was published to assist in informing Members of Parliament of why reform was needed, and was in support of Early Day Motion 373, tabled by David Maclean similarly calling for reform, and currently signed by 58 MPs.
	'Every Family Matters'published by the Centre for Social Justice on 13th July 2009. A detailed report which makes 131 recommendations to help ensure that family law does not contribute to family breakdown.
	'Relocation: The Reunite Research' carried out by the charity REUNITE and funded by the Ministry of Justice. Published in July 2009. The report is critical of the court's current application of case law and legal precedent in leave to remove and relocation cases
	The Grandparents' Rights Petition Report published by The Custody Minefield in March 2008. In 2008, The Custody Minefield started a campaign to change the law to reduce the obstacles that Grandparents face when attempting to maintain a relationship with their grandchildren. It is estimated that 1million grandchildren are denied such a relationship. We were joined by The Grandparents Association, Grandparents As Parents (GAP), Grandparents Apart, The Grandparents Action Group UK, Families Need Fathers, Jewish Unity for Multiple Parenting (JUMP) and Mothers Apart from Their Children (MATCH). An Early Day Motion (EDM1199) was tabled in Parliament in support. The Campaign started with a petition on the Prime Minister's Website, and followed with a response to the PM's inadequate reply which gained the support of 53 Members of Parliament in 2008. You can read our report by clicking on the cover image.  The Campaign was carried on by the Grandparents Association and Families Need Fathers, who attended a meeting in Westminster on 18th May 2009 along with Professor Fiona Brooks and Dr Cliff Hill from the Family Matters Institute, Professor Ann Buchannan from Oxford University and which was hosted by Steward Jackson MP. 19 March 2009 - coverage in: The Daily Mail   The Sun   The Times    The Guardian   The Yorkshire Post   The Herald   21 January 2010 - The Government announced a Green Paper and their commitment to simplifying the legal process by removing the requirement to apply for the court’s permission before making an application for contact with their grandchildren; improving information about the legal and other options available so they can maintain relationships with their grandchildren when parents separate; and new support for kinship carers – including grandparents - who take on the care of their grandchildren when the parents are unable to, for example if they have drug, alcohol or mental health problems.

29.03.2000 The guidance that Social Services should follow when conducting risk assessments 'The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families'.

April 2006 Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. This documents sets out how organisations and individuals within the public sector and who work with children should work together and safeguard and promote the interests of children. Published by the Department for Education and Skills.

Midland Region Family Judges and Magistrates. Fantastic guidance on 'What the Family Court expects from parents'. Hopefully, this message will spread beyond the Midlands.

By Ofsted on CAFCASS

04.08.08 An inspection of service provision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) to children and families in South Yorkshire.

22.05.08 An inspection of service provision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) to children and families in the South-East and CAFCASS Press Release in response

15.02.08 An inspection of service provision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) to children and families in the East Midlands and CAFCASS Press Release in response.

By the National Audit Office

2007 'Family mediation and legal aid.' Statistics on the use of mediation when the client is funded by legal aid.

TCM Comment: 33% of solicitors had not made their clients aware that mediation was available as an alternative to adversarial proceedings. Profiteering?

2007 Compulsory mediation?

TCM Comment: An interesting report into a pilot scheme using compulsory mediation and the experiences of those involved. Perhaps the people running the pilot should liaise with Swedish authorities, since mediation is mandatory in Swedish Family Law.

Documents from the Department for Children, Schools & Families

2008 A Review of How Fathers Can be Better Recognised and Supported by DCSF Policy: Research Report DCSF-RR040

Documents from the Department for Education and Skills

2003 Important peer review research on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills which concludes that children are disadvantaged when both parents are not involved in children's education, and that positive educational attainment is linked to father involvement. "The Impact of Parental Involvement in Children's Education"

Documents from Families Need Fathers

2007 A summary of 'Research on The Importance of Both Parents in Children's Lives' and in support of the principal of shared parenting.

Documents from the Ministry of Justice

03 March 2008 'Care Profiling Study' and research summary. A study providing baseline data on care proceedings brought under the Children Act 1989, which could be used to evaluate reforms to the care proceedings system.

27 March 2008 'Just satisfaction? What drives public and participant satisfaction with courts and tribunals?' and the research summary.

Extract: 'As a result of weaknesses in the evidence base, we cannot say with authority whether the public, or indeed those who have participated in civil or family cases, are generally satisfied with those courts and tribunals, and why they are satisfied (or not). Lack of such data about a key public institution is concerning.'

2008 Speeches by the head of CAFCASS

16.10.08 Speech by Anthony Douglas CBE - Best Practise in Supporting Separated Families Conference: "Transitions: the new norm" (powerpoint presentation) and the accompanying press release.

Speeches by Members of the Judiciary

30.06.10 Speech by Lord Justice Thorpe - London Metropolitan University - "Relocation: The Search for Common Principles"

06.09.09 Speech by Lord Justice Wall - Solon Expert Witness Conference - "The use of experts in Family Law cases: Experts and the Media: Baby P"

20.11.08 Speech by the Honourable Mr Justice Ryder- Conkerton Memorial Lecture 2008: “The Autonomy of the Citizen in the context of Family Law Disputes”.

27.06.08 Speech by the Honourable Mr Justice Ryder– The Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the Butterworth’s Family Law Service July 2008: “The Family Courts of the Future” 

13.05.08 Speech by the Rt Hon Sir Mark Potter, President of the Family Division– "Report on the Private Law Programme"

06.05.08 Speech by the Rt Hon Sir Mark Potter, President of the Family Division– "The Voice of the Child: Childrens “Rights” in Family Proceedings" 

14.04.08 Speech by the Rt Hon Sir Mark Potter, President of the Family Division– "Launch of the Public Law Outline"

07.04.08 Speech by the Honourable Mr Justice Coleridge– Resolution National Conference: “Family Life – Family Justice – Fairness”

11.03.08 Speech by the Rt Hon Sir Mark Potter, President of the Family Division- Resolution Inaugural Annual Lecture

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08.11.07 Speech by the Honourable Mr Justice Ryder, on behalf of the National Youth Advocacy Service - 'The Risk Fallacy - A tale of two thresholds'

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30.11.06 Speech by Lord Justice Wall in Honour of Professor Mervyn Murch - "Whattaya Mean - Quo Vadis?"

29.06.06 News Release:  'Lord Justice Wall calls for Media Access to Family Courts'