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The government is to pilot integrated domestic violence courts where one judge can deal with both the criminal and family aspects of domestic violence. The first integrated court is expected to be up and running this year.

The announcement forms part of a package of reforms on child custody and contact after parental separation outlined in a new White Paper. It includes compulsory parenting classes for some parents before a contact order is made, and new legislation to prevent one parent from obstructing the enforcement of a contact order.

"Gateway" forms will mean courts will be told about any allegations of abuse or domestic violence at the start of a case, but there will be not be a blanket presumption that no contact should take place if harm has been alleged.

The government has also rejected calls for a presumption of equal contact after separation, and only one in five respondents to last year's Green Paper supported the principle. The child's welfare should always be the court's paramount consideration, says the White Paper. "The problem is how to shift the attitudes of some parents better to focus on the needs of the child".

Where a parent - usually a mother - breaches a contact order, she could be subject to a curfew, or a community service order, or be ordered to make financial compensation to the other parent. As a last resort, mothers could be fined or imprisoned for breaching contact orders.

New templates - called Parenting Plans - showing examples of contact arrangements that work well for children at different ages and in different circumstances are to be published by the government and distributed to parents and their advisors.

Parental separation: children's needs and parents' responsibilities: next steps.  From www.dfes.gov.uk/childrensneeds/

Risky start to life.

Nearly half of very premature babies have a disability by age 6 according to latest research.

Children born extremely prematurely run a high risk of disability, with only one in five having no problems at age 6, according to the latest results of a long term study.

The EPICure study has followed a group of babies born in the UK in 1995 at 25 weeks gestation or less, and assessed them at age 2 and a half, and six.

When the children were age 2 and a half the assessment found that 50% had no disabilities, one in four had severe disability and one in four had mild or moderate disability.

When they were six very detailed medical and psychological testing took place, comparing 241 of the children with 160 classmates who were born at full term.

Only 20 per cent had no problems. Twenty-two per cent had severe disability, 24 per cent had moderate disability and 34 per cent had milder problems such as poor eyesight or below average cognitive scores.
The study also showed the boys had a greater risk of severe disability than girls, and lower scores generally for cognitive function.

Bliss, the charity for premature babies, was a major funder of the study. Its chief executive Rob Williams said, "The results will give parents some guidance as to the possible outcome for this small group of babies. They may well affect difficult decisions that have to be made about continuing treatment."