13/08/2025
Our Soulla Kokkinos recently acted on behalf of the father in the reported judgment of London Borough of Havering v The Mother & Ors [2025] EWFC 238 (B) (20 June 2025). The judgment concerns the father's application for an expert assessment of the three children. Her Honour Judge Suh found that "it is not necessary to have an expert to resolve these proceedings justly and that the solicitor's assessment, going through the Family Justice Council guidance with care, does not mean that there is a gap in the evidence requiring the view of the expert. The assessments are comprehensive and consistent with the totality of the evidence."
Her Honour Judge Suh emphasised the importance of children feeling heard in complex care proceedings and noted "the importance of children's wishes and feelings and their need to be heard I think is the motivation behind the application, which I would never seek to criticise. It is so important that these children, who do come from a [a country in the Middle East-]ian heritage, do not feel out of place in UK society. They should feel that they are fully engaged in, heard and supported and understood in these proceedings, regardless of what the outcome is."
See below link to read the judgment in full:
https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWFC/OJ/2025/238.html
