Executive Summary The proposed changes in the Courts and Tribunals Bill 2026 could represent one of the most significant reforms to private family law in a generation. Removing the presumption of parental involvement provides an opportunity to create a more evidence-based family justice system. However, legislative change alone will not resolve the wider challenges faced by modern families. A modern family justice system requires earlier identification of risk, improved safeg

By Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law When politicians speak about protecting taxpayers’ money, they rightly call for stronger action against fraud and abuse. We hear billions of pounds are lost through fraud each year. We hear promises of tougher enforcement, better investigations and greater accountability. But there is one area that receives far less attention. The Child Maintenance Service. Every day, thousands of children’s financial futures depend on a system that of

By Deanna Newell Founder - DN Family Law The Prime Minister’s proposal to consider increasing the personal tax-free allowance from £12,570 to £25,000 could be welcome news for millions of workers, families and small business owners by allowing people to keep more of what they earn could ease financial pressures during the cost-of-living crisis. DN Family Law supports measures that help hardworking people. However, this announcement also shines a spotlight on a much bigger iss

Child maintenance exists for one reason:- Child Maintenance exists to ensure that children receive financial support when parents separate. That principle is difficult to argue with. Children deserve food, clothing, housing, education, opportunities, stability, and security regardless of whether their parents remain together. But there is a difficult conversation that society, politicians, campaigners, and policymakers often avoid. The child maintenance debate has become in

There is a question that many women consider, but rarely say out loud: “What have I married?” Not because the signs were always obvious. But because coercive control does not begin with chaos. It begins with control, subtle, strategic, and socially invisible. The Illusion of Security In The Housemaid, we see a familiar façade; a beautiful home, financial stability, a respectable partner. However beneath that image lies a system of control rooted in ownership: “My house. My m