Moving children to another part of the country is known as internal relocation.

This can often cause contention post-separation if one parent seeks to relocate some distance away from the previous family home with the children, as unlike any attempt to move abroad, in principle one parent does not have to seek the consent of the other to do so

But if this happens, there are steps the other parent can take to seek to prevent this.

Whilst in the past courts have been particularly flexible when it came to permitting a move inside the UK compared to a move abroad more recently there has been increasing acknowledgment that distant internal relocation can have an equivalent impact on children and a non-resident parent as a move abroad.

Courts will decide whether the children’s welfare will be impacted, and orders can be put in place should they determine any such move would have a negative impact on them.

If you are facing this scenario, our team of experts are well versed in handling these issues and are available to assist.