Family and Children
In the case of C (Children) (Contact order) a mother lost her appeal against a ruling preventing her applying for contact with her children. The mother suffers from serious mental health issues and the children themselves requested contact to end until she was more stable. The judge at the initial hearing dismissed the mothers contact application and relied on a psychiatric assessment report which recommended the mother undergo psychological therapy as a means to move forward. The mother appealed believing the judge had relied too heavily on the report and had not taken into consideration the improvement in her behaviour. She also argued that a meeting the judge had with the children was impermissible and that it was not right that he had not allowed another psychiatrist to assess both her and the children.
The appeal was dismissed. Although the mother had disagreed with the decision she could not show that the judge had made an error in coming to his conclusion. This was not sufficient grounds for appeal. The mother had also failed to seek therapy as advised in the initial ruling.
If you would like help and advice regarding child matters please contact our Family Law Department on Eastbourne 01323 727321 or Hailsham 01323 841481 for a free initial appointment.
Nicholas Dennis
Alexandra Funnell
Guy Brown
Carolyn Richards
Please note the above is for information purposes only and is intended to be a short summary. It should not be treated as a comprehensive guide and should not be acted on without qualified legal advice.
