Assessment of the welfare of a competent child versus their wishes and feelings (S (through his litigation friend, James Alexander Netto) v F)

Article summary

Family analysis: A 14-year-old child of Ghanaian-British parents was born in London and had always lived in England. In March 2024, the parents took the child to Ghana and enrolled him (without his knowledge) in a school there because they were concerned about his involvement with gangs and knives; the parents later left Ghana and returned to England. The child applied, through his solicitor, to make himself a ward of the High Court and for an order that he be returned to the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The court concluded that despite the child’s strongly expressed wish to return to England, his interests were best served by remaining in Ghana with a member of his wider family, away from the malign influences he had surrounded himself with, and remaining in contact with his father and English family by both video and visiting contact. Olivia Magennis, barrister at 1|GC...