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 the mother’s recovery while preserving the child’s relationship with his father in Father v Mother [2026] EWFC 287 (B).
The court considered competing applications concerning arrangements for three-year-old R, whose father had admitted extensive domestic abuse against both R and his mother, including coercive and controlling behaviour, threats of physical harm and substance misuse.
The mother, who suffered from PTSD arising from the abuse, sought the cessation of direct contact to enable her to undertake trauma-focused treatment. The father, having completed several therapeutic and parenting programmes, sought progression from supervised to unsupervised contact.
Applying the welfare checklist and Practice Direction 12J, the court acknowledged the seriousness of the abuse and its continuing impact on the mother, while recognising the father’s developing insight and positive relationship with R.
Rejecting both an extended cessation of contact and immediate progression to unsupervised arrangements, the court ordered a structured pathway involving reduced contact, substantial pauses and gradual reintroduction, ultimately progressing towards unsupervised contact.
The judgment highlights the importance of balancing parental rehabilitation, the victim parent’s recovery and the child’s welfare.
Mehvish Chaudhry, instructed by Hunters, acted for the Respondent mother.
