Jonathan Sampson and James Dove in the Family Court in Re S [2020] EWHC 217 (Fam)
Care proceedings stemming from a private law dispute where a mother made allegations against the fathers of her children. Both fathers denied the mother’s allegations that they had either sexually or physically harmed their children during contact. The court concluded that the fathers had not abused their children and that the mother’s pursuit of her allegations of abuse had led to the emotional harm of the children. The court issued guidelines for dealing with similar cases, including: commissioning early expert assessments, mediation, early guidance and support from local authorities, these types of cases must be overseen by fully qualified social workers and their managers, not trainees.
