Helen Crowell

Public Law

Helen has experience representing Local Authorities, parents, interveners, and children through their Children’s Guardian in care proceedings at all stages of a case. Helen’s experience in the Court of Protection has provided her with particular expertise relating to vulnerable clients with cognitive difficulties and those who lack capacity to litigate.

Helen has appeared in public law proceedings up to and including trial stage which include issues such as:

• Non-accidental injury, including serious head injury
• Fabricated and induced illness
• Alienating behaviours of parents
• Sexual abuse of children (including fabricated allegations of sexual abuse)
• Medical treatment of children
• Forced marriage

Helen has acted in multiple such matters in the High Court. She has experience of appearing against leading counsel, both in her own right and as a led junior.

Helen has experience in wardship proceedings, including abduction proceedings in non-Hague convention countries.

Helen has a particular interest in cases involving the deprivation of liberty of children and young adults. Her experience in the Court of Protection allows her to advise and act in cases where there may be a jurisdictional overlap with the Court of Protection.

Private law

Helen regularly acts in private law proceedings including applications for Child Arrangements Orders, non-molestation and occupation orders, and enforcement applications. Helen has experience in acting for parents, interveners, and children through their Rule 16.4 Guardian.

Helen’s experience in private law cases has involved allegations of serious domestic abuse and violence, non-accidental injury, emotional abuse, and alienating behaviours/intractable parental dispute, including in fact-finding hearings and up to and including final hearing.

Helen has experience in international abduction cases.

Cases

A v R Local Authority & Anor [2024] EWHC 3260 (Fam): Helen represented a local authority and successfully opposed an application by a mother to revoke adoption orders in respect of her two children.

A Local Authority v S & Ors [2023] EWFC 85: Helen was led by Shaun Spencer KC and represented the local authority in complex care proceedings centred on cross-allegations of serious abuse of the, then, 9-year-old child made by each of the parents against the other. Those allegations included alleged sexual abuse and parental alienation.

A Local Authority v A & Ors [2023] EWFC 34 (B): Acted for the appellant in a successful appeal against a case management decision. The judgment is available here.

A Local Authority v W (No.2) (Finding of Fact Hearing) [2020] EWFC 68: Helen appeared with Shaun Spencer for the local authority in this case which concerned the near fatal collapse of a young child who sustained extensive brain damage. The judgment is available here.

Re C (A child) [2019] EWCA Civ 1777: Helen was involved in the preparation of, and observed, an appeal where Shaun Spencer was led by Karl Rowley KC, who were successful in having findings that the mother had inflicted an injury on her child overturned. The case was remitted to have the findings reconsidered. The case has been published on BAILII.

Re D (Fact-finding appeal) [2019] EWCA Civ 2302: Helen also assisted with preparation for and observed an appeal where Shaun Spencer and Karl Rowley KC represented a father who had been accused of inflicting a sexual injury on his child, and was exonerated after successfully applying to re-open the finding. The case was remitted for a further fact-finding hearing to reconsider the questions of whether the injury had been inflicted, as well as whether the identity of a perpetrator (if any) could be established. The case has been published on BAILII.

Helen has been involved in the preparation of a number of complex cases involving cross-border jurisdictional issues and the placement of children abroad (M (Deprivation of Liberty in Scotland) [2019] EWHC 1510 (Fam)), deprivation of liberty and secure accommodation orders, non-accidental injury cases ranging from bruising to fatal injuries, fabricated and induced illness, and private law cases involving complex issues arising from cultural and religious dynamics of the family.

Helen practises in the Court of Protection in relation to health and welfare matters. She is regularly instructed by P (through their litigation friend), local authorities, and family members. She accepts instructions in matters relating to ss.15 and 16 and s.21A MCA 2005.

Helen has experience of acting in matters where there are complex issues of fluctuating capacity and where capacity is in dispute. She has a particular interest and experience in cases involving overlap between the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court and the Court of Protection and is able to draw on the breadth of her experience in such matters.

Helen has experience appearing in inquest hearings and has recently gained experience in public inquiries. She was instructed as part of the counsel team to undertake document reviews on behalf of the Thirlwall Inquiry, set up to examine events at the Countess of Chester Hospital and their implications following the conviction of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby of murder and attempted murder of babies at the hospital.

• Jurisprudence (Law) at the University of Oxford (First Class honours)
• Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) at the University of Oxford

• FLBA
• Gray’s Inn
• Northern Circuit

‘Disclosure of Information between Family and Criminal Agencies and Jurisdictions (2024 Protocol): what has changed and what has stayed the same’, Family Law Journal [2024] Fam Law 1059. Available on Lexis.

‘Question of Incompatibility – Deprivation of Children’s Liberty Without Court Order?’– Family Law Week (2 March 2020). Article written with Shaun Spencer