Re B-A (Placement Order and Contact Order)
[2026] EWCA Civ 356 · Court of Appeal
What happened: A judge made an order protecting direct contact between two children and their father while they were being placed for adoption. The local authority challenged that order. The dispute was not simply whether contact was desirable: it concerned whether the children's relationship needed the protection of an enforceable order rather than an intention recorded in the court papers.
What the court decided: The Court of Appeal dismissed the local authority's appeal and upheld the contact order. It distinguished a legal requirement from a recorded intention, which does not provide the same protection. The order addressed contact at the placement stage, before a final adoption order.
Why it matters to adoptees: Maintaining a family relationship may depend on more than adults expressing goodwill. This case shows why a court may need to make contact enforceable, including where a parent would struggle to secure arrangements informally. For adoptees examining childhood contact plans, it helps distinguish what was promised from what was legally required. It does not guarantee that the same contact arrangements will continue unchanged after adoption.
Later treatment not comprehensively reviewed
Later treatment not comprehensively reviewed.
Limitations: Section 26 concerns placement stage contact; it does not guarantee unchanged contact after a final adoption order. The outcome depended on these children’s needs.
Case details and sources
Adoptee involvement: Guardian represented the children below but was not represented at the appeal because of funding difficulties.
Remedy sought: Contact order upheld.
Legal route: Appeal concerning section 26 contact
Judgments in this case
- [2026] EWCA Civ 356 · Court of Appeal · 2026-03-25 · Judgment
Sources checked
- Approved judgment hosted by barristers’ chambers (opens in a new tab)
paragraphs 3–7 and 48–60 · Judgment
Review scope: Approved judgment reviewed for reasoning, participation and outcome; no exhaustive later treatment check.
Human verification pending. Entry: CASE-NEW-014.