Permission granted for Christian parents at Court of Appeal

A Christian couple whose adopted children were taken into care have been granted permission for their case to be heard in full before the Court of Appeal thanks to Paul Diamond, Standing Counsel to the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting the family.

At the conclusion of yesterday’s hearing Lady Justice Black ordered that the case should proceed to a full hearing. She said that there should be a review as to whether the Judge at the Family Court had taken the right factors into account when deciding the boys’ future, and whether he had failed to give proper weight to the good parenting that had been given to the children for three years prior to their forced removal.

The couple had cared for the two young brothers for over three years before they were taken into care in summer 2014. They had provided a loving home for the two boys who had come from highly traumatised backgrounds.

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, commented: “Today’s decision is an important step in seeking to secure justice for the family. We will continue to provide legal support for the couple as we help them to prepare for the full hearing. Please pray that justice will be done." 

"At the Christian Legal Centre we are dealing with an increasing number of cases where children are being separated from parents and because of the closed nature of the Family Court system it is very difficult to expose such heartbreaking injustice. This has to change."

“We are seeing a worrying trend whereby Christian parents are being treated with suspicion because of their faith."

"These Christian parents who had adopted two boys were treated as if they were not the ‘real’ parents. Their views on disciplining the children and taking them to church were wholly disrespected by the social services and now tragically their children have been taken away."

"It is time for a change regarding the secrecy surrounding child courts. Their secretive nature means that injustices can be covered up, and it is time for this to be reviewed.”