Cases
Re D (Adoption: Notification of Husband and Relatives)
Court
In the High Court of Justice Family Division
Practice Areas
Miriam Best and Greg Davies appear in Re D (Adoption: Notification of Husband and Relatives) [2026] EWHC 1289 (Fam).
Two members of 4PB have appeared in the reported High Court case of Re D (Adoption: Notification of Husband and Relatives) [2026] EWHC 1289 (Fam).
Miriam Best (instructed by Sima Ganatra of All Family Matters) represented the first respondent mother
Greg Davies (instructed by Charlotte Image-Flower of Dawson Cornwell) represented the 2nd Respondent child.
The matter concerned an application by a local authority (supported by the mother) for directions under the inherent jurisdiction as to whether the child’s birth and proposed adoption should be disclosed to the mother’s husband and wider family. The case involved a six‑month‑old child, D, conceived following a suspected sexual assault, whose mother, a refugee living in England with limited support, had consistently expressed a clear wish for adoption and had already provided formal consent. D had lived with foster carers since birth and was placed with prospective adopters supported by the mother. The mother had not informed her husband or family of the pregnancy or birth, citing serious cultural and religious stigma, the risk of ostracism and marital breakdown, and significant psychological harm.
The High Court carefully balanced the competing interests and found that, in these exceptional circumstances, there was no realistic prospect of a family placement and that notification would likely cause severe harm to the mother and potentially to the child. The court therefore granted permission for all relevant third parties, including the mother’s husband and extended family, not to be notified, allowing the adoption process to proceed confidentially.
To read the full judgment click here.
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