News

Children's charities have welcomed government proposals to give courts powers to improve and enforce contact arrangements between children and parents following a separation.

Plans to give judges the authority to direct parents in a contact case to parenting programmes, and where necessary to enforce contact orders, were set out in the draft Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill, published last week.

Baaf Adoption and Fostering chief executive Felicity Collier and NCH policy director Caroline Abraham backed powers for courts to impose community service or curfews on parents who breach contact orders.

Collier said: "Children have to have a relationship with both parents. It is important to find an effective way of persuading parents to co-operate. Sadly, they are not always willing to do this, so some enforcement is required."

But domestic violence charity Refuge condemned the government's plan to enforce curfews and the possible electronic monitoring of parents. Chief executive Sandra Horley warned that the plans could put children at risk. "Many of those [women who stop their ex-partners from seeing their children] are trying to protect them from violence and harm."

The bill follows a DfES report last month, which revealed plans for a greater role for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in in-court mediation services.