This practice direction provides guidance for removing wards of court from the jurisdiction for holidays and issuing their passports. It states that foster parents should not be identified in court orders to protect confidentiality, like for prospective adopters. It also allows the court to give general advance leave for local authorities or individuals to make removal arrangements without needing permission each time. Additionally, it recommends issuing passports for wards without restrictions to the specified holiday period for convenience, unless the court instructs otherwise.

1. Practice Direction 12P–
Removal from Jurisdiction: Issue of Passports
This Practice Direction supplements FPR Part 12
1 Removal from jurisdiction
The President has directed that on application for leave to remove from the jurisdiction for
holiday periods a ward of court who has been placed by a local authority with foster-parents
whose identity the court considers should remain confidential, for example because they are
prospective adopters, it is important that such foster-parents should not be identified in the court’s
order. In such cases the order should be expressed as giving leave to the local authority to arrange
for the child to be removed from England and Wales for the purpose of holidays.
It is also considered permissible, where care and control has been given to a local authority, or to
an individual, for the court to give general leave to make such arrangements in suitable cases,
thereby obviating the need to make application for leave each time it is desired to remove the
child from the jurisdiction.
2 Issue of passports
It is the practice of the Passport Department of the Home Office to issue passports for wards in
accordance with the court’s direction. This frequently results in passports being restricted to the
holiday period specified in the order giving leave. It is the President’s opinion that it is more
convenient for wards’ passports to be issued without such restriction.
The Passport Department has agreed to issue passports on this basis unless the court otherwise
directs. It will, of course, still be necessary for the leave of the court to be obtained for the child’s
removal.
Issued with the concurrence of the Lord Chancellor.
Jordan Publishing
www.familylaw.co.uk