This issue of Family Matters focuses on presentations made at the 12th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, 25-27 July 2012. The articles in this edition particularly address family law issues.

Features articles based on presentations from the 2011 Growing Up in Australia: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and Footprints in Time: Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children Conference

Prevalence of potential family life difficulties; women's return to work after maternity leave; transition to school; and effects of separation on grandparents.

National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children; child protection and law reforms; links between child maltreatment and adolescent offending; neurobiological effects of childhood maltreatment; and transitioning from out-of-home care

Family Matters No. 88 highlights a range of life stages from newborns to grandparenting and bequests.

Family Matters No. 87 focuses on the theme of Sustaining families in challenging times covering such topics as who's really time poor; children in poverty; UK family policy, lone mothers and paid work; families at risk; living-apart-together (LAT) relationships; and past adoption practices