A, B and C (Adoption: Notification of Fathers and Relatives)
[2020] EWCA Civ 41 · Court of Appeal
What happened: Three appeals concerned mothers who wanted their babies adopted without fathers or wider relatives being told. The court considered how to balance a mother's privacy with the interests of the child and others who might have a family connection or offer care. The joined judgment is held as one database entry.
What the court decided: The Court of Appeal required a decision based on each family's circumstances, rather than automatic secrecy or automatic notification. In Case A, it allowed the challenge to non-notification and approved a measured, staged approach to informing the father. The separate final outcomes in Cases B and C have not yet been fully captured in this database.
Why it matters to adoptees: Whether a father or relative is told can shape what family information is available, who can participate and whether family care is considered before adoption. Those consequences can continue long after childhood. The case helps explain why a file may contain a specific decision about secrecy or notification. It also recognises that privacy and other competing interests must be considered, rather than assuming every family situation has the same answer.
Review limitations recorded
One collection entry for the joined judgment, which covers three underlying appeals. Later treatment not comprehensively reviewed.
Limitations: Neither automatic secrecy nor automatic notification. Child welfare is important but not paramount in this particular notification decision. Individual dispositions of Cases B and C remain to be fully captured.
Case details and sources
Adoptee involvement: Concerns children and family members potentially excluded from decisions; not applications by adult adoptees.
Remedy sought: Guidance across three appeals; Case A non-notification decision overturned.
Legal route: Three joined appeals concerning family notification
Judgments in this case
- [2020] EWCA Civ 41 · Court of Appeal · 2020-01-29 · Joined appeals judgment
Sources checked
- Official Court of Appeal judgment (opens in a new tab)
paragraphs 89 and 99–100 · Judgment
Review scope: Official judgment checked for notification principles and Case A outcome. Detailed dispositions of Cases B and C and wider later treatment remain pending.
Human verification pending. Entry: CASE-NEW-020.