Relocating With Children After a Divorce

When a marriage ends and one parent wants to move abroad, or even just to a different part of the country, what happens to the children?

In this episode, Simon Fenton talks to Chris Sutton, Head of Family Law, about relocation cases. Chris explains the difference between an internal relocation (moving within the country) and an external one (leaving it entirely), and why the reasons behind a move are so rarely about the children, even though the children's best interests are what the court cares about most.

He walks through what a strong relocation case needs to show, from schooling and medical care in the new location to how contact with the parent left behind will actually work in practice. He also explains why the starting point in these cases is the current arrangement, and why the parent proposing the move carries the burden of showing it's the right one.

Watch the full episode to hear Chris's take on what makes a relocation plan succeed, and what happens when it doesn't.