Mavis Amonoo-Acquah in LM (A Child) (Interim Welfare Arrangements) [2025] EWHC 3243 (Fam)
21st Jan 2026 | Cases
Mavis Amonoo-Acquah, instructed by West Berkshire Council, as intervenors in LM (A Child) (Interim Welfare Arrangements) [2025] EWHC 3243 (Fam); an application by 15-year-old for order allowing him to live with his mother, the court having previously ordered no contact with her.
This case concerned an application by LM, a 15-year-old boy assessed as Gillick-competent, seeking a determination of his living arrangements. The application arose against a background of longstanding and highly acrimonious private law proceedings between his parents. In 2020, following findings heavily reliant on an expert psychological report, LM was ordered to live with his father and to have no contact with his mother. LM had no face-to-face contact with his mother for over five years.
In November 2025, LM left his father’s home and sought to live with his mother. Following police involvement, he was placed in foster care, where he experienced multiple placement moves. LM brought proceedings himself, expressing a clear and unwavering wish not to return to his father. The mother supported placement with her; the father opposed this and initially argued for continued foster care. The local authority recommended foster care but revised its position following an interim viability assessment of a family friend (Ms W).
The court prioritised LM’s current welfare and autonomy rather than revisiting historic findings, which were the subject of separate High Court proceedings. Given LM’s age, competence, distress in foster care, and the risks of placing him directly with either parent, the court concluded that his best interests were met by placement with Ms W, with gradually increasing contact with his mother.
