A case heard at Bournemouth Family Court focused on child welfare, domestic abuse allegations, and parental contact, resulting in an order for the child to live with the father and no contact with the mother.
Georgia McWilliam, associate solicitor at Ellis Jones Solicitors and a member of Resolution, said: “There is an increasing shift towards a more gender-neutral, child-focused approach.
“In this case, an order was made that the child live with the father, and that the mother have no contact with the child.”
Ellis Jones Associate Solicitor Georgia McWilliam (Image: Ellis Jones Solicitors/Deep South Media)
The judge heard evidence that the mother had “taken steps, time and time again, to undermine the relationship between the child and the father”.
At the same time, “the court came to the conclusion that this could not be said in respect of the father, who, in the judge’s assessment, tried to co-parent with the mother.”
Ms McWilliam said: “Family cases are always emotive and far from clear-cut.
“With greater awareness of domestic abuse in society, it’s becoming more common now that a mother can indeed be found to have been a perpetrator of domestic abuse.
“I believe this move towards greater transparency will help demonstrate to the wider public how family law is applied in modern domestic abuse cases.”