Hong Kong Case Law: Decisions & Judgments

Topic

Social welfare reports

Legal area

Court

21 May 2026

譚對吳

Citation

[2026] HKCA 993
Court

Court of Appeal
Case number

CAMP156/2025

The court refused leave to appeal because the father's grounds failed to show any obvious error of fact or principle in the trial judge's exercise of discretion: the 12‑month supervision order was a lawful, reasonable measure within the judge's assessment of the parties' communication and the child's welfare; social welfare reports are advisory; the custody award to the mother did not evidence a reversible error; and the application therefore lacked a reasonable prospect of success. Costs were awarded against the applicant.
27 Apr 2026

ZZ v. LX

Citation

[2026] HKCA 868
Court

Court of Appeal
Case number

CAMP283/2023

Leave to appeal was refused because the proposed grounds amounted to challenges to the Judge's factual findings without demonstrating they were plainly wrong or involved a palpable error; the Judge applied correct legal principles, appropriately preferred and adopted Social Welfare Reports and PD v KWW as the leading authority on joint custody, and there was no reasonable prospect of success or other sufficient interest of justice to warrant an appeal.
24 Feb 2025

黎對凌

Citation

[2025] HKFC 31
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC17193/2014

Court accepted social welfare and clinical psychologist reports that there was no evidence mother deliberately alienated the child; the child, competent for his age, expressed a settled wish to live with mother; maintaining stability and status quo was in the child's best interests; therefore order varied to joint custody with mother having care and control and a defined contact regime for father, and limited travel permission for mother with safeguards.
28 Mar 2024

A 對 B

Citation

[2024] HKFC 65
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC4376/2019

The application for leave to appeal is refused because the proposed grounds lack a reasonable prospect of success: the applicant's factual assertions were contradicted by court records, the fresh evidence did not meet the Ladd v Marshall test and would not alter the outcome, and the social welfare reports provided a rational basis for awarding sole custody to the respondent; the high threshold for overturning discretionary family law decisions was not met.
7 Feb 2024

劉對盧

Citation

[2024] HKFC 80
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC12463/2018

Court refused the father's application and maintained the existing arrangement: mother retains care and control of both children and guardianship remains joint. Decision rested on the children's best interests as informed by social welfare reports and the children's expressed wishes, superior living conditions with mother, the importance of preserving sibling unity, the son's aversion to staying at the grandparents' home (including concerns about uncle's long-term mental illness), and the father's persistent use of coarse language and lack of insight which adversely affected his relationship…
28 Sept 2023

鄭對周

Citation

[2023] HKFC 195
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC1181/2023

The judge found the respondent had not shown a reasonable prospect of success: the child's welfare was at material risk, social welfare reports and urgent psychological assessment could not proceed while the respondent obstructed cooperation, the respondent repeatedly ignored court directions and made unsubstantiated allegations that hindered professional assessment; accordingly the interim transfer of care to the petitioner was necessary and leave to appeal was refused.
30 Jun 2023

鄧對蘇

Citation

[2023] HKFC 118
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC4993/2020

The court found the mother was the established primary carer, the relocation application was genuine and practicable with adequate housing, schooling and healthcare arrangements, and the social work reports supported the move; the father’s objections were not shown to render relocation incompatible with the children’s welfare. Accordingly the mother was granted care and control and permission to permanently relocate the children to Yunfu, with detailed contact orders for the father and joint guardianship retained.
25 May 2023

楊對姚

Citation

[2023] HKFC 90
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC13440/2018

The court applied the paramountcy of the children's welfare, gave significant weight to the children's clear and consistent wishes (having capacity to express them), and to contemporaneous social welfare reports showing stable, appropriate care with the father for over two years; on that basis maintaining continuity and stability required awarding care and control to the father while retaining joint guardianship and defined access for the mother.
5 May 2023

陳對陳

Citation

[2023] HKFC 81
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC8940/2020

Both parents were capable and loving but, on balance, maintaining the status quo was in the child's best interests: father was granted care and control because the child had mostly lived with him at the principal residence, his accommodation was objectively superior and closer to the child's school, and experienced family and domestic support were available; social worker reports supported joint custody with father having day‑to‑day care and detailed contact for mother. Given prior volatile exchanges, supervised/neutral handover locations and social worker assistance were necessary to protect…
27 Feb 2023

朱對易

Citation

[2023] HKFC 38
Court

Family Court
Case number

FCMC12673/2019

Court ordered joint custody for both parents but awarded care and control to the mother because the children expressly preferred to remain with her, she had been the primary caregiver, maintaining status quo was in the children's best interests, and the father's health, gambling debt, threatening conduct and forcible administration of medication undermined his suitability for care and control; reasonable access including overnight stays granted to father.