Family Private Children & Public Law Seminar

Hosted by Newcastle Law Society in association with New Park Court Chambers

Date: 24 June 2026

Time: 4.30 pm – 6.30 pm (TBC)

Place: Middlesbrough (venue TBC)

Booking: Limited spaces available. To reserve your places(s) at this free Family event, please email mail@newcastlelawsociety.co.uk

Canapes and refreshments will be available after the seminar presentations.

Public Law

Sally Terris will speak about threshold criteria or the legal test that a local authority must satisfy before a court can make a care order or a supervision order under section 31 (2) of the Children Act 1989.

She will examine developments since the landmark case of Re A (A Child) (2015) EWFC 11, which established important rules for how the threshold should be drafted and proven to ensure that ‘state’ intervention is justified.

Private Children Law

Emma Hughes will discuss finding of fact hearings post re H-N and Others (Children) (Domestic Abuse: Finding of fact hearings) (2021) EWCA Civ 448.

Particular consideration will be given to Practice Direction 12 J and domestic abuse cases, including the three recent cases of:

• ER v NT (Need for fact-finding hearing) (2025) EWHC 2146 (Fam) Mr Justice MacDonald
• Re A (Appeal: Finding of Fact) (2025) EWHC 1279 Mr Justice Hayden

Re A (A Child) (Appeal: finding of rape) (2025) EWHC 1500 Ms Justice Henke.

The Speakers:

Introduction by Valerie Stering, Head of the Family Team at New Park Court Chambers. Her family practice covers the full range of family law, including finance, private law children cases, and public law care cases. Valerie has in-depth skills in private law Children Act proceedings involving complex and intractable residence and contact disputes, Prohibited Steps Orders, Specific Issue Orders, applications to relocate both internally and internationally, and Article 15 Brussels ii.

Sally Terris, Year of call 1997

Sally Terris has specialised in family law for 30 years, having appeared at all levels of court. She is recommended for matrimonial finance (including complex issues such as pensions, trusts, inheritance, business and property), private children (including Child Arrangements Orders, abduction and adoption) and public law (including Children Act, care, domestic and sexual abuse).

Sally represents local authorities, parents, extended families, children, and guardians in the public law arena. She has extensive experience with difficult contact and residence applications, including those involving a Rule 16 Children’s Guardian. She is also experienced in care cases with international elements.

Sally has acted in a wide range of care cases involving baby-shaking, domestic violence and sexual abuse. She is an expert in cases involving complex medical issues, radiological and/or neurological evidence, fictitious and/or induced illness and conflicting expert evidence, personality disorders and sexual abuse.

Emma Hughes, Year of call 2015

Emma Hughes has a wealth of experience of both private and public family matters.  She is regularly instructed in private family law proceedings by both applicants and respondents in applications such as Child Arrangement Orders to determine residence and contact for a child, specific issues and prohibited steps orders. Finding of Fact hearings are also run successfully by Emma in both the private and public arenas.

Emma also appears in matters of injunctive relief where domestic violence is alleged (for both the accused and the accuser), such as Non-Molestation Orders, at both ex parte and contested hearings.

Emma is capable of representing both sides in cases where allegations are made, which prevent contact taking place between a parent and a child.

Emma’s involvement in public family law proceedings often finds her representing respondent parents against allegations of neglect, failure to protect, sexual abuse and/or non-accidental injuries.

New Park Court Chambers, 3 Broad Chare, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 3DQ

T: 0191 232 1980   E: clerks@newparkcourt.co.uk   www.newparkcourt.co.uk