The second report in a fortnight critical of the court's current position on relocation cases which echoes our own views. This time, published by the Family Law Review, for the Centre for Social Justice, and released on 13th July 2009. An excerpt from that report is detailed below:

'Currently the resident parent has disproportionate ‘rights’ in this area, with their plans to move away being in reality the primary consideration. Instead, there must be much greater consideration given to the wider implications for the child of a geographical relocation, and more than the simple alternative choice of with which parent to live.'

To read the report in full from the Centre for Social Justice, click here.

On 8th July, research findings were also published by REUNITE, the leading charity on international child abduction, on relocation and the law surrounding it . The report was funded by the Ministry of Justice, and we were involved in discussions with the researchers. The report calls into question the current leading case law, Payne v Payne, with the authors sharing many of our own concerns, and not least that the court's current position does not adequately safeguard a child's best interests or welfare. Download REUNITE's report here. Our sincere thanks to Dr Marilyn Freeman and REUNITE who carried out this important research.

For help and to understand the court's current stance on leave to remove and internal relocation cases, visit the following webpages:

Leave to remove

Internal relocation

Many thanks to Michael Robinson for this information.
[Visit Michael's website]