Cases

When does a Child Arrangements Order bring a child’s looked-after status to an end, and what are the implications for local authority financial responsibility? – Rob George KC, Ruth Cabeza and Daniel Sheridan in Milton Keynes City Council v Ealing London Borough Council [2026] EWHC2586 (Fam)

In Milton Keynes City Council v Ealing London Borough Council [2026] EWHC 2586 (Fam) Ms Justice Henke, sitting in the Family Division, determined Milton Keynes City Council’s application for declarations…

How should the Family Court balance a child’s relationship with an abusive parent against the continuing impact of domestic abuse on the child’s primary carer? – Mehvish Chaudhry in Father v Mother [2026] EWFC 287 (B)

In a complex private law children case involving serious admitted domestic abuse, the court adopted an unusual, phased approach to contact, incorporating periods of reduced and suspended contact to support…

Can children be wrongfully retained abroad if they had already become habitually resident there? – Mavis Amonoo-Acquah in TK v SD [2026] EWHC 2220 (Fam)

The High Court considered whether five siblings should be returned to England after their parents gave sharply conflicting accounts of whether their move to Kenya had been temporary or permanent…

When serious injuries are medically suggestive of abusive head trauma, how should the court approach alternative explanations where the medical evidence cannot exclude an unusual accidental injury or unidentified mechanism? – Stephen Crispin in Ellana (A Child) (Fact-Finding: Head Injury), Re [2026] EWFC 272 (B)

The Family Court has declined to find that a 15-month-old child’s serious intracranial and spinal injuries were inflicted, holding that, despite shaking being the medically favoured explanation, the evidence considered…

Jason Green in M v F1 & Anor (Relocation) [2026] EWFC 284

Jason Green represented the applicant mother in her successful application to relocate with her 7-year old daughter (“C”) to State A in M v F1 & Anor (Relocation) [2026] EWFC…

Mehvish Chaudhry and Edward Bennett appear in the first child abduction case before the Supreme Court of the Falkland Islands

Mehvish was instructed by Laura Clarke of Waverley Law. Edward was instructed by James Netto of IFLG.

Chambers has extensive experience of cases in the courts of, and involving the overseas…

When can a court refuse to return a child under the Hague Convention even when the child himself wants to return? – Rob George KC in F v M [2026] EWHC 2371 (Fam)

The High Court refused a father’s application for the summary return of his nine-year-old son to Spain, finding that the Article 13(b) grave-risk exception was established despite the child’s clear…

Can the High Court order the return of a child from a 1980 Hague Convention country under the inherent jurisdiction? – Ben Woolstencroft in T v P [2026] EWHC 2242 (Fam)

The High Court has considered the use of its inherent jurisdiction to seek the return of a child from Russia, a signatory to the 1980 Hague Convention, where the Convention…

How should the Family Court protect a child from the wider consequences of serious abuse perpetrated against an older sibling? – Matthew Brookes-Baker, Oliver Powell and Fazeela Ishmael in A and B, Re (No. 3) [2026] EWFC 248

Following findings of serious sexual abuse, coercive control and intimidation of an older sibling, the court considered the profound implications for her younger sister’s contact with their father, including long-term…

When should the Family Court override the strongly expressed wishes of a nearly 17-year-old who wants to return home? – Matthew Brookes-Baker, Oliver Powell and Fazeela Ishmael in A and B, Re (No. 2) (care – welfare after findings of sexual abuse) [2026] EWFC 247

Following findings of serious sexual abuse by her stepfather, the court considered whether a young person approaching seventeen should remain in foster care despite her clear and determined wish to…

How should the Family Court approach serious allegations of sexual abuse where the alleged perpetrator has already been acquitted in criminal proceedings? – Matthew Brookes-Baker, Oliver Powell and Fazeela Ishmael in A and B, Re (No. 1) (care – fact-finding – sexual abuse) [2026] EWFC 246 

Following a Crown Court acquittal, the Family Court considered afresh a teenager’s allegations of serious sexual abuse by her stepfather and the resulting risk of harm to both her and…

When a child suffers an unexplained fracture, can suspicious circumstances be enough to prove causation? – Craig Jeakings in G, In the Matter Of [2026] EWFC 227 (B)

In G, In the Matter Of [2026] EWFC 227 (B) the Family Court declined to find that a young child’s unexplained arm fracture was inflicted, emphasising that opportunity, inconsistent accounts and understandable…