1 Crown Office Row, Brighton welcomes Charlotte Worsley KC as an Associate Member - Jan 2025
Charlotte is a Family Law silk who specialises in contentious and highly complex cases.
She is recommended as a leading silk by both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 with clients describing her as ”a force to be reckoned with” and “a meticulous silk who is a joy to watch”.
Children (Public Law)Charlotte is sought after to represent parents, Children’s Guardians, Local Authorities and young people who are competent to instruct their own legal representatives. She has significant experience of lengthy cases involving exceptionally complex medical evidence involving death or catastrophic injuries to a child, non accidental injuries, shaken baby syndrome, fabricated induced illness, honour based abuse, forced marriage, sexual abuse, child exploitation and radicalisation. She has extensive experience of cases involving the most vulnerable clients including those without litigation capacity.
She is often instructed on cases involving difficult legal issues under the Inherent Jurisdiction relating to medical treatment issues, best interest decisions, wardship, and deprivation of liberty. She has extensive experience of cases involving the most vulnerable clients including those without litigation capacity and the interplay with the Mental Health Act 1983.
Selected Cases
- A Local Authority v A child (C) [2024] EWFC 336. Represented the Local Authority in a tragic case considering the limits of the wardship jurisdiction versus s31 CA 1989 proceedings and impact of a deceased parent on satisfaction of the threshold criteria. LA v C 21.11.24
- A Local Authority v A Mother & Anor (Alleged Honour Based Abuse) [2024] EWFC 177 (1 May 2024) Represented the children involving complex allegations of Honour Based Abuse, Forced Marriage and Coercive Control. Link to Judgment
- Z v V & Anor (Re The Children Act 1989 & The Senior Courts Act 1981) [2024] EWHC 365 (Fam) (22 February 2024) Represented the children found to be at real and imminent risk of abduction to Nigeria.
- D (Parentage: Local Authority Application) [2024] EWHC 305 (Fam) (15 February 2024) Represented the mother who successfully opposed the Local Authority’s application for paternity testing to determine the identity of her child’s biological father. (Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council v JK and others [2024] 2 FLR 222).
- Re AF 2024 (Unreported) Represented father accused of significant alienating behaviours and emotional abuse of child.
- Kirklees Council v P & Ors [2023] EWHC 3470 (Fam) (03 November 2023) Represented the father who murdered the mother. Guidance on the scope of reporting restrictions and transparency orders.
- A, B and C (Child Contracting Gonorrhoea) [2023] EWFC 211 (26 October 2023) secured exoneration for Mother following allegations of sexual abuse.
- Re B (A child) (Fact-finding) [2023] EWCA Civ 905: Court of Appeal case. Leading Oliver Latham and represented the respondent father in a reasons based appeal before Baker, Lewis and Snowden LJJ. Re B (A child) (Fact-finding) – Find case law
- Re J 2023: Represented the Father exonerated from causing 13 inflicted fractures to his six-week-old baby.
- Re H 2023: Represented the Mother protected from serious allegations of sexual abuse. Children remained in her care.
- Re W 2023: Represented the child. Findings made that Mother had fabricated and induced his illness.
- Re T 2022: Represented the Mother where criticisms of treating medical professionals were found alongside findings of fabricated and induced illness.
- Re M 2022: Represented three-year-old child, successfully challenging the LA plan to remove from foster parents who had applied to adopt.
- Re K: 2022 Represented the Mother exonerated from shaking her two-month-old baby. Children returned to her care.
- Re K: 2021 Represented the children whose parents were found to have perpetrated extreme punishment of a five-year-old by hypothermia.
- RE D (A Child) (Appeal out of time) (2020) Representing the child supported a successful appeal in spite of the notice of appeal being more than three years late
- Wakefield Metropolitan District Council v R & Ors [2019] EWHC 3581 (Fam) (20 December 2019)Represented the Local Authority securing findings that both parents were in the pool of perpetrators for shaking their baby.
- A Metropolitan District Council v M & Ors [2019] EWFC 15 (08 March 2019) –Representing the Father initially accused of raping seven-year-old daughter. Protected Father from findings of sexual abuse.
- Re BH (A child) (Human Rights Act Injunction) [2017] EWFC 15 – Represented the Local Authority prevented from removing a two-year-old great-niece from a great aunt’s care pending final determination of a long-term placement. Although the great-aunt lacked parental responsibility, the removal of a child from a longstanding family carer was virtually certain to engage the rights of both child and carer under ECHR Art.8 and was directly analogous to removal from a parent.
- Re C, D and E – (Radicalisation: Fact-Finding) [2016] EWHC 3087 (Fam)
- Re C, D and E – Radicalisation: Welfare) [2016] EWHC 3088 (Fam)
- Represented a Mother alleged to have tried to take her children to Syria to join the Caliphate in July 2015. She was found to have held radicalised views. After a period of bespoke work with CENTRI the children returned home under child in need plans.
- Re X (A Child) [2018] EWHC 3883 (Fam) Represented a child found to have been shaken on two occasions by a child minder.
- Leeds City Council v YX (assessment of sexual abuse) [2008] EWHC 802 (Fam) Represented a Mother exonerated of findings of sexual abuse.
Charlotte is experienced in cases involving the most serious issues of domestic abuse, alienating behaviours, emotional abuse, coercive and controlling behaviours, physical and sexual abuse. She undertakes cases involving international and relocation (both internal and external) arguments including abduction. She also advises and has experience in cases involving declarations of parentage, fertility law, surrogacy and adoption.
