Hale Family Law

21/07/2026

24/02/2026

FAMILY LAW TIPS FOR PARENTS - COVERT RECORDINGS

Covert recordings is another term for recording another person secretively, without their knowledge.

Parents are resorting to this type of evidence more and more in proceedings.

Why covert recordings are more often than not unhelpful:

1. It is a form of surveillance. This can be considered as a distorted and obsessive form of thinking which can constitute harassment be controlling or abusive.

2. It is a substantial invasion of privacy. If done repeatedly it can be considered highly relevant to the welfare process when considering the arrangements for the child. HKS v HSM [2021] EWHC 3423 (Fam).

3. Secretly recording children rarely supports your case. It is often considered harmful to children and may have more evidential value in indicating the capability of the parent to understand and promote their child’s emotional needs and protect them from harm.

4. The recording may not record the entire event. E.g. it may be a short snippet of a much larger incident. This could be evidence of you attempting to control the narrative and build evidence.

5. You may have used a third party app to edit the video or splice more than one video together. This could reduce the quality of the video and lead to glitches. This may lead to expert analysis.

However, there are occasions when a covert/secret recording will be the only way to provide evidence of something.

In these situations, you need the permission of the court to rely upon the evidence. In children proceedings, you need to file a C2 application and the court will consider the whether they can be admitted into the proceedings.

If you find yourself in this complex position, please reach out to us. We regularly advise clients on admitting this type of evidence.

Hale Family Law
0161 567 6067
[email protected]
www.halefl.co.uk
7 Market St Altrincham WA14 1QE

21/02/2026

See what one of our former clients had to say about using our director Colin.

03/02/2026

Its a common misconception that divorce ends financial ties.

10/01/2026

Contact us to book your free appointment:

[email protected]
0161 567 6067
www.halefl.co.uk

09/01/2026

Today marks our first week of trading as Hale Family Law and what a week it has been.

Our director Colin already had a case load of existing clients to bring with him.

This week has been particularly rewarding helping clients across the range of family law issues.

In particular, we have helped clients with international relocation, step parent parental responsibility, domestic abuse and attendance at court.

We pride ourselves ourselves on helping families in turbulent times.

We are always keen to hear from individuals considering or going through family disputes to see how we can help.

Contact us:

📞 0161 567 6067
📧 [email protected]
🕸️

Highly regarded law firm in Altrincham offering fixed fees for divorce, child arrangements and other family law matters. Over 10 years experience in family law issues. Resolution accredited.