FD25F00014 - [2025] EWHC 2483 (Fam)

The assessment of the paternal grandmother by the independent social worker was conducted through both video calls and home visits in Kazakhstan with the assistance of a Russian speaking Kazakh national. In total, I understand the independent social worker to have spent around 10 hours meeting with the paternal grandmother at her home in Kazakhstan and to have had additional video calls with her. The social worker has also met by video with both parents and met YV and the current carers in England. She has also received references from a colleague of the grandmother and from her employer.

The paternal grandmother is 59 years old. She lives in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. She works in a kindergarten and is used to very young children. She has two adult children of her own, YV’s father and his sister who is married and has qualified as a lawyer in Kazakhstan. For most of their childhood the grandmother was a single parent, as her husband died when her son, YV’s father, was only 10 months old. Since that time the grandmother has lived alone bringing up her two children and has not had other relationships. The social worker describes her as “tak[ing] pleasure in being with the children at the kindergarten where she works and in the close relationship that exists between herself and [her adult children]”

The grandmother, herself came from a large family and also assisted her own mother in bringing up her youngest sibling. The social worker reports that it is very usual for children in Kazakhstan to be cared for by their grandmother, especially first grandchildren. Therefore, living with her grandmother is not likely to make YV feel singled out from other friends.

The report describes the grandmother as appearing to be “energetic and capable”. Her only reported health problem is hearing loss in her right ear for which she wears a hearing aid.

The grandmother has a studio apartment in a modern apartment block which she has bought with the assistance of a mortgage. Her current income (which I understand includes an element of disability benefit) is insufficient to meet all of her outgoings including her mortgage, but she receives significant financial support from her two adult children and her son, YV’s father, pays her mortgage. There is a strong family expectation that her children will provide her with continuing financial assistance. The grandmother is due to retire from her current employment in two years’ time when she would qualify for a pension. I understand that if she takes overYV’s care, her employer will give her a year’s paid maternity leave and then allow her to retire so that she would not have to return to work and could concentrate on YV.

The living space in the flat becomes the main sleeping area at night, and the social worker reports that it is common in Kazakhstan to have communal sleeping areas rather than individual bedrooms. The social worker summarises the grandmother’s material circumstances as comfortable and concludes that they would provide a suitable environment in which to care for YV.

The grandmother’s daughter, YV’s aunt, lives in the same apartment block as the grandmother. She appears to be a successful lawyer and both she and her husband enjoy a significant income. They are recently married and would like to have children of their own at some point.

The social worker received references from a colleague of the grandmother and from her employer. Both of these referred to her ability with children. The social worker concluded that the grandmother was “a warm and competent person” and “a mature and loving person who has had extensive experience of looking after children, both in her own family and professionally. She has been commended by colleagues for her skill at making relationships with children.”

The report identifies two issues which may pose some difficulties in the future. The first is finances. As I have already recounted the grandmother has a limited income and this will reduce further when she retires. She is reliant on her two adult children for financial assistance. Although the social worker acknowledged this as a potential issue, she felt that this was a resourceful family that would be able to find a solution if the grandmother’s financial situation became precarious.

The second issue relates to contingency planning and who would take on YV’s care if something were to happen to the grandmother in the future. The social worker describes the grandmother as “fiercely independent and resourceful” and a person who has weathered hard times as a single parent when her children were growing up. It is suggested that she finds it difficult to imagine any scenario in which she would be unable to care for YV herself, however the grandmother felt that if she became unable to look after YV, her own children would supply her with all the support she would need. The report also notes that the grandmother has one sister to whom the grandmother is particularly close.

Overall, whilst acknowledging these issues, the report does not consider that they should preclude the grandmother from caring for YV.

The social worker notes that living in Kazakhstan would allow YV to grow up in the authentic culture of Kazakh heritage and YV would not stand out as any different to their friends. She considers that the grandmother will be committed to love and nurture YV to create an environment in which YV can flourish. She concludes:

“It is my conclusion that [the grandmother] is capable of providing a loving home for [YV] where [they] would be cherished and encouraged to meet [their] potential. [The] grandmother would also have the support of her immediate family, should she need assistance with YV’s care as [the grandmother] grows older.”