The focus of this year’s conference will be on the importance of being a grandparent and will feature speakers and debate from a cross section of professionals who are working to highlight the importance of grandparents.

Family lawyer, Stephen Sowden, of Hartnell Chanot & Partners will be one of the speakers and will be sharing his experiences and providing advice on how grandparents can work with the legal system to resolve access issues.

Other speakers include:

• Robert Halfon MP
• Cathy Ashley, Family Rights Group

To see the full agenda and to register your place please click here.

The Grandparents Association was set up in 1987 by a group of grandparents whose grandchildren had been put into care, adopted from care or were not allowed any contact with them. It has grown into a thriving national charity, with around 1,000 members nationwide made up of grandparents and organisations. Its mission is to  improve the lives of children by working with and for all grandparents.

Foster Care Fortnight is the Fostering Network’s annual campaign to raise the profile of fostering and is the UK’s biggest fostering recruitment campaign.

The Fostering Network estimates that every 22 minutes a child comes into care and needs a foster family and suggest that at least 8,750 new foster families are needed in 2012 alone. A new website: www.22minutes.org.uk has been launched especially for Foster Care Fortnight, which contains 22 inspirational films about fostering.

To celebrate Foster Care Fortnight, The British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) has launched a new film to help recruit more foster carers to provide families for the growing number of children in care across the UK.

The film, made in partnership with the BBC Outreach volunteer initiative, shares the stories and experiences of real foster carers giving a true insight into the challenges and the rewards of fostering. To see the video click here.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster carer please visit the Could You Foster website.

Following a family break up Serena lived with her grandparents for most of the first five years of her life but then had to leave. Derek and his wife then spent many years battling to gain access to Serena whilst visits became fewer and fewer. Derek says of Serena, “She was frustrated beyond belief.”

Derek believes she took her own life and says, “the system let her down”.

Grandparents do not have an automatic right to contact with their grandchildren and when relationships break down losing contact with grandchildren causes great heartache for grandparents and their grandchildren. This is a particularly complex and emotive area of law.

Stephen Sowden, Director at Hartnell Chanot & Partners and comments: “Wherever possible we always encourage grandparents to try and talk things through with the grandchild’s mother or father first. If this fails mediation is an effective way in which to resolve contact issues and keep legal costs to a minimum.

If the situation cannot be dealt with amicably then court should be the last resort. The courts now recognise the huge role that grandparents have and the contribution they make. It is unlikely that court would refuse a grandparent access to grandchildren but there are no guarantees and the process can be costly.”

He added: “Over the past few years the profile of grandparents has been raised tremendously with many national organisations, such as The Grandparents Association,  highlighting the asset that grandparents are to the family. There is still a long way to go, however and we will continue to lobby the Government for more rights for grandparents.”

For more information on your rights as a grandparent and what to do if you are being denied access please visit the Grandparents area of our website.

Recorders are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor, after a fair and open competition administered by the Judicial Appointments Commission.

Family Recorders sit in county courts and their jurisdiction is broadly similar to that of a Circuit Judge. Julia has been authorised to hear Private and Public Family Law Cases subject to attendance at an induction course and sitting in with an experienced family Judge for a number of days.

Julia specialises in all matters relating to children, in particular representing children, parents and grandparents in care proceedings, complex residence / contact disputes and international child abduction and adoption. As a Recorder she will be required to sit in court for up seven weeks per year.

Stephen Sowden, Director and Head of the Children Team at Hartnell Chanot comments: “We are delighted that Julia has been appointed as a Family Recorder. This is a prestigious appointment and demonstrates recognition of her expertise in family law.”

Here is a summary of the new Children and Families Bill:

Rights for Fathers

The government intends to strengthen the rights of divorced fathers to see their children to ensure children have a relationship with both their parents after family separation, where that is safe, and in the child’s best interests.

The government says it will consult shortly on how the legislation can be framed.

Adoption

A child’s ethnic background and that of the prospective adopters will come second to efforts to place the child swiftly in a permanent home. Local authorities in England will not be expected to find a perfect racial match for the child, if there are couples waiting to adopt.

Children in Care

There will be a new time limit for cases of children going in to care. In England and Wales family courts will be required to make a decision on whether a child should be taken from their parents and placed in care within six months.

This is part of the government’s drive to speed up the adoption process. It believes too many children stay too long in care and miss out on the stability of a caring permanent home.

Flexible Leave for Parents

Mothers will be allowed to transfer some of their maternity leave entitlement to the child’s father and return to work earlier.

Special Educational Needs

Families will get more choice on education for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). The system of SEN statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments will be replaced in England from 2014 by a “single, simpler assessment process and (an) Education, Health and Care Plan”.

All the changes will apply to England, but some such as flexible working will also apply to Scotland and Wales.

Rachel Buckley, Director at Hartnell Chanot & Partners comments: “We welcome these proposed Government changes to support children and family life. In particular the new arrangements for family law which aim to put the needs of the children first. Our core ethos has always been to put children at the centre and we are pleased to see that the Government appears to be adopting this approach.”

Cyclists from left to right: Emma Thomas, Jacquie Spragg, Julia Clayton

Luckily, after a week of rainfall, the weather turned out to be on the sides of Julia Clayton, Jacquie Spragg, and Emma Thomas, as they embarked on a 35 mile bike ride in preparation for the 200 mile bike ride across France, which both Julia and Jacqui will undertake in June of this year.

Julia Clayton, a Director at Hartnell Chanot and Partners, and Jacquie Spragg, a self-employed Guardian, will join 48 other cyclists in a 200 mile cycle ride in France, over a period of three days, all in aid of the ‘Who Cares Trust’, a charity dedicated to helping the lives of those children who sadly end up in the care system. As part of this enterprise, each individual cyclist aims to raise £600, which if successful, will mean the bike ride could raise in excess of £30,000. All of this money will go towards helping the lives of some of the country’s most vulnerable children.

On Friday 20 April as part of this fundraising, and as a little ‘taster’ of what is to come in France, Julia and Jacquie, with the help of Emma, cycled from Torquay to Exeter, via the Teign Valley, a total of 35 miles.  Along the way they stopped at a number of local businesses, who were there to show them their support and make donations towards the charity. As part of this fundraising a number of solicitors firms partook in a ‘dress down Friday’ as a means of raising money, including Hartnell Chanot and Partners, Torquay based Woollcombe Beer Watts and Exeter based solicitors, Cartridges. Donations were also received from Wollen Michelmore in Torquay, Stephens and Scowns, Tozers and CAFCASS, with a fantastic total of £452.80 being raised.

After one tumble, one puncture and one brake failure, the cycling trio couldn’t have been happier with the fantastic support they received throughout the day, a boost which is certainly most welcome, as they now prepare for the mammoth task ahead.

Speaking about the fundraising and the charity Julia said: “The aim of the cycle ride on Friday, was not only to help raise money for the charity, but  also to encourage other local professionals who represent parents and children in care proceedings to get involved in further fundraising.”

Determined to raise in excess of the £600 set per person, Julia and Jacquie will be holding a skittles evening on the 18 May 2012. Local businesses have kindly donated prizes which will be auctioned off during the evening, and all money raised will go towards their fundraising goal.

However, at Hartnell Chanot and Partners our charitable efforts don’t end there. Last week, 25 year old trainee solicitor Harriet Jones, took to the streets of London, as she completed the London Marathon in aid of the Stroke Association, raising in excess of £2,000 for the charity. Although a challenge that she told herself she would never do again as she crossed the finish line, it seems one week on she has changed her mind, and has already applied  for next year’s London marathon!

Sarah’s Law enables worried parents to find out whether any person who is in contact with their children, for example a new partner, neighbour or sports coach, has any convictions for sexual offences against children, or in the opinion of the police, whether that person poses a risk of causing harm. This information can then be disclosed to the parent, carer or guardian.

The latest set of statistics show that the police have received more than 1,600 enquiries and 900 formal applications for information since the law was brought in last April. Following investigations more than 160 disclosures relating to child sex offences were made along with 58 other crimes. This has meant that around 200 children have been protected from potential harm.

The ‘Sarah’s Law’ scheme rolled out across England and Wales was named after Sarah Payne who was murdered at age eight by paedophile Roy Whiting. Since that time her mother, Sara Payne, has campaigned tirelessly on child protection issues and has been the driving force behind this welcome legislation.

Whilst it seems the government are now doing everything they can to tighten the law and close loopholes in order that the public, particularly children, are afforded the greatest protection possible from predatory sex offenders, the Home Secretary Theresa May has commented that families themselves also have a vital role to play. She states: “It is important that parents, guardians and carers are aware of the disclosure scheme and their right to request information if they have concerns.”

Julia Clayton, Director at Hartnell Chanot and Children law specialist adds: “With more than 60 children being abused every day, ‘Sarah’s Law’ has proved an essential step in ensuring that children are offered the protection they need. Anyone who has concerns regarding any person, who has contact with their children, is encouraged to make enquiries with their local police force.”

Many deaf clients feel that law firms are not prepared and are not considerate of their special needs. During the first seven months of 2011 – 2012 the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) law centre received 429 complaints.

In 2011 two of Hartnell Chanot’s lawyers, Donna Hart and Gemma Sparks, completed the British Sign Language (BSL) Level 1 course. They can now welcome a client by greeting them and asking them basic questions in sign language, which they hope will help put the client at ease. Seeing a solicitor for the first time can be stressful, particularly in family matters so it is important that the client feels welcomed from the moment they enter the door.

Mounting concerns over discrimination have led to the announcement within the last month of two separate initiatives by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Royal Association for Deaf People (RAD) to improve ‘deaf awareness’.

According to the report “Legal Choices – Silent Process” published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Legal Services Consumer Panel and Action on Hearing Loss, deaf clients find that legal materials are not adapted for their needs and that there are barriers to communication.

The report referred to a case where a deaf client was engaged in a family matter. The client felt that the proceedings were not explained to her and her requests for an interpreter were ignored. Meetings were carried out by exchanging notes. In total the client went through at least six solicitors and felt very frustrated at the lack of adjustment to the needs of deaf clients.

Donna Hart, Associate Chartered Legal Executive comments: “It is not hard to believe that deaf clients feel discriminated in this way. When Gemma and I attended our first BSL course at the Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education we were surprised at how different communication between deaf and hard of hearing people can be. Our initial part of learning was just explaining the basics, such as good eye contact, ensuring you have the person’s attention before speaking, staying in their field of vision, ensuring the room is well lit and your face is not covered, talking in a normal voice and tone, not covering your mouth when speaking and using gestures and visual clues, pointing at anything which may assist you. Above all we were taught to be polite. These things may sound obvious but it is amazing how many people do not know this or think to do it.”

She adds: “Whilst Gemma and I still need the assistance of interpreters at meetings and court we feel it is important that we can welcome a client that is hard of hearing and make them feel at ease. I am hoping to undertake Level 2 of BSL from September 2012 to improve my sign language skills and take them to the next level.”

The Express & Echo’s Exeter Business Awards, now in their second year, celebrate business excellence and achievements in Exeter.

The Excellence in Customer Service award will be made “to the company that demonstrates a commitment to continuously improving its standards of customer service. The judges will expect to see a clear, well-implemented customer care policy and examples of service exceeding customer expectations.”

Hartnell Chanot is one of only three firms to have been shortlisted. The winner will be announced at the awards evening on Friday 27 April 2012.

The ONS statistics reveal that in 2009 11,500 over-60s were granted a divorce – up 4 per cent in two years. This contrasts with a fall in the divorce rate for all age groups of more than 11 per cent.

Why the increase on over 60s divorce?

For many couples, moving into their 60s means significant change to their lives. Retirement removes the daily routine of work and might uncover the sad truth that a couple just don’t actually enjoy spending time together anymore. Perhaps those that have stayed together for the children’s sake find that when the children have grown up and moved out there is no reason to stay together.

Whilst historically the social stigma of divorce would have kept couples together regardless that barrier is now much less of an issue.

What are the issues in over 60s divorce?

Divorce for the over 60′s is often quite a different proposition. Aside from the emotional trauma, which after 30 or 40 years of marriage can be considerable, there are also different legal considerations.