Posts
Change of school for a child during care proceedings
This week, I attended a short hearing at Cardiff Family Court about a local authority wanting to move a child under an interim care order to a school nearer where he currently lives. His mother didn’t agree, and she applied to court to object. With only a few days...
Domestic abuse findings and a criminal trial
Can a father against whom findings of domestic abuse have been made by a family court plead 'Not Guilty' to those offences in the criminal court? Yes, if he denies the charges and rejects the family court findings. The standard of proof in the criminal court is...
Why isn’t Dr G named?
The recently published judgment in Kent County Council v M & Ors [2026] EWFC 212 (B) is very critical of a parent and baby residential assessment business, named as Savannah Lodge, and also critical of a paediatrician, who is named only as “Dr G”. In her judgment,...
‘I want the children to have a relationship with their father but he scares me’ – Part 2: the welfare decision
In Part One of this report, I described the court hearings in Cardiff Family Court that led to HHJ Paul Hopkins KC producing a 188 page fact-finding judgment of more than 700 paragraphs. The judge concluded that most of the allegations that the father, (who I’m...
Controversy over cohabitation rights
As we've mentioned in recent monthly Roundups, the government is currently consulting on three linked areas of family law under the title ‘A fairer end to relationships’. The consultation closes on 14 August. 1. Financial remedies on divorce/dissolution - Although a...
Family Court Reporting Watch Roundup: July 2026
Welcome to the Roundup, where we correct, clarify and comment on media reports of family law, explain and comment on published family court judgments, and highlight other transparency news. MEDIA COVERAGE OF FAMILY LAW, TRANSPARENCY etc The Law Society Gazette...
‘I want the children to have a relationship with their father but he scares me’
During the Covid lockdown in 2020, a father of three young children experienced a mental health breakdown that led to the police being called and his being sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 and hospitalised for two weeks. He’d separated from his wife a few...
The parent trap: the legal conundrum of surrogacy
This is a guest post by Salomé Ashenden. Salomé holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Law (PGDL) from BPP University and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London. She has experience working as a paralegal and supporting litigants in person, and is due to...
Who is listening to child victims of sexual abuse in private law proceedings?
A new report on research undertaken by Jaime Lindsey (Associate Professor in Medical Law, Oriel College, Oxford) and Joanna Harwood (Lecturer, Essex University Law School) makes a number of recommendations regarding private family law proceedings in England and Wales...
Finding a journalist to attend your family court hearing – update
The new scheme of matching requests for a reporter and journalists who are interested in family court reporting is now up and running - Courting Coverage with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. We wrote about this initiative earlier this month. If you have an...