Case type
Family law instructions include public law care proceedings under the Children Act 1989 and private law disputes about child arrangements. Psychiatric evidence may go to a parent's mental health, parenting capacity, capacity to instruct, or to the child's psychiatric needs.
A short summary plus the items below is enough for us to match an expert and confirm the deadline — you don't need the full bundle to get a quote.
Family law psychiatric instructions span public and private law, with the same expert often being the right choice across both. The court is looking for an opinion that is genuinely independent of either party and that is written in language a Family Court judge, and the wider professional team around the child, can act on.
We instruct only consultants with substantive experience of FPR Part 25 reporting, who understand the Family Justice Council guidance, and who will engage constructively with the children's guardian, the local authority and any treating services rather than commenting from the outside.
Reports are prepared under FPR Part 25 with reference to Practice Direction 25B and 25C, and the President's Memorandum on Experts in Family Proceedings.
Drop any of these straight into your letter of instruction.
Where there is doubt about a parent's capacity to instruct solicitors and conduct proceedings, we provide a Mental Capacity Act 2005 assessment that identifies the relevant decisions and the support required to enable participation, supporting the appointment of a litigation friend only where genuinely necessary.
Child and adolescent psychiatric reports address the impact of abuse, neglect or exposure to domestic abuse on the child's mental health, the appropriate therapeutic intervention, and the implications for placement and contact.
Where a parent's mental disorder is in issue, the report addresses diagnosis, treatment, the realistic timescale to a level of stability that supports parenting, and the support required. We avoid generic statements and tie the opinion to the specific child or children before the court.
In intractable child arrangements disputes, psychiatric evidence on a parent's mental health, on alleged alienating behaviours, or on the impact of contact arrangements on the child often decides the outcome. Reports are written to engage with the welfare checklist and to support a workable order.
Care proceedings reports address parental psychiatric disorder, its relationship to the threshold criteria, the realistic timescale for change, and the impact of any disorder on parenting capacity. We are familiar with the President's Memorandum on Experts and the requirement for proportionate, focused evidence.
Tell us about your case and we'll match you to the right consultant, usually within 24 hours.
