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Re O (Human Fertilisation)
2016 · England and Wales
After assisted conception, a missing consent form led professionals to advise Y to adopt a child of whom Y was already a legal parent. The case concerned correcting that position: the court was asked to recognise the existing parentage and deal with an adoption order that should not have been needed to establish it.
Re P (A Child)
2018 · England and Wales
A girl adopted with her sister in 2008 entered local authority accommodation in 2014 after alleging sexual abuse by her adoptive father. She later received inpatient mental health treatment. The appeal concerned the court’s handling of disputed allegations and its findings.
Re PW (Adoption)
2011 · England and Wales
An adult adoptee, aged 69, sought to challenge the adoption made when she was 17. She had been adopted by family friends and remained close to them throughout her life, but believed the adoption should not have been made. Her application eventually proceeded as a request for permission to appeal many years out of time.
Re R (A Child)
2014 · England and Wales
A mother appealed against care and placement orders concerning her child. The Court of Appeal also used the case to address misunderstandings of earlier decisions about the justification required for adoption. In particular, it considered how courts should compare adoption with other realistic ways of caring for a child.
Re R and C (Adoption or Fostering)
2024 · England and Wales
The court had to decide between adoption and fostering for two children whose relationships with siblings were important. The appeal examined whether preserving those relationships required a fostering plan, or whether adoption could proceed with meaningful continuing contact. It was a comparison of the available arrangements for these children, rather than an abstract choice between two systems.
Re S (Children); Re S (A Child)
2014 · England and Wales
A father opposed a plan for his daughter’s adoption because it would end her existing legal family relationships. After changes in his circumstances, he asked to be assessed as her carer in Norway. The court proceeded to make a placement order without that further assessment. He appealed and obtained reconsideration of the decision.
Re S (Foster Care or Placement for Adoption)
2026 · England and Wales
A local authority wanted permission to place a child for adoption, but the judge concluded that continued foster care better met her needs. Her relationships with her mother and her current carers were important to that decision. The local authority appealed, asking the Court of Appeal to overturn the refusal of a placement order.
Re S (Placement Order Contact)
2025 · England and Wales
There was agreement that a child being placed for adoption should continue to see siblings. The dispute was whether that contact needed to be protected by a court order. The appeal raised questions about how to assess the relationship, what future contact should look like, and whether recording an intention was enough in the circumstances.
Re W (A Child)
2019 · England and Wales
A great-aunt offered to care for a young child whose mother could not provide his day-to-day care. The court nevertheless made care and placement orders supporting adoption. The great-aunt appealed because the judgment did not adequately explain the rejection of her proposed family placement, including her positive attributes and the assessment of risks.
Re W (A Child) (Adoption: Leave to Oppose)
2010 · England and Wales
An adoption order had been made without the birth mother receiving proper notice. A judge set that order aside and allowed her to oppose the adoption application. The prospective adopters appealed against the decision allowing her to oppose it. The case therefore involved both a defect in the original process and the separate question of what should happen when the adoption application was considered again.