Includes index

Contents: Introduction to family law and its changing dimensions -- State intervention in personal relationships -- Nullity and its consequences -- Acquisition and protection of rights in the family home -- Domestic violence -- Ending relationships -- Financial consequences of relationships -- Ownership of personal property and rights to maintenance during the relationship -- Financial consequences of ending the relationship -- Death and consequences -- Parents and family: rights and responsibilities -- From clean break to open adoption -- Adolescent rights: autonomy and participation -- Children's welfare and private disputes -- In the child's best interests: the jurisdiction of wardship -- Child protection: public law procedure -- Protecting children from significant harm: interpreting the law -- Financial provision for children.