A lifestyle check, in the context of a child contact case, is an investigation into the actual circumstances of a parent or carer’s life — their living arrangements, their habits, their associations, their day-to-day reality — as opposed to what they have represented those circumstances to be, whether to you, to a solicitor, or to the family court.
Lifestyle checks are most often requested where there is a specific reason to doubt the accuracy of the other parent’s account of their circumstances, and where that account is materially relevant to a child arrangements decision.
When Lifestyle Checks Are Appropriate
Lifestyle investigation is not a tool for relitigating every disagreement between separated parents. It is appropriate where there is a specific, articulable reason to believe that a parent’s actual circumstances differ materially from what they have represented, in a way that is relevant to the child’s welfare or to the arrangements being decided. Examples include:
- A parent who claims to be living alone but is suspected to be cohabiting with a new partner whose presence and suitability has not been disclosed to the court.
- A parent who claims stable accommodation but is suspected to be living in unstable, unsuitable, or frequently changing circumstances.
- A parent whose account of their working hours, childcare arrangements, or daily routine appears inconsistent with other evidence.
- Concerns about substance use, associations with individuals of concern, or a lifestyle that may pose a risk to a child, where the parent’s own account denies or minimises this.
What a Lifestyle Investigation Covers
Residence verification: establishing where a person actually lives, who else lives there or regularly stays there, and the general condition and suitability of the property.
Relationship status: establishing whether a parent who claims to be single is in fact in an undisclosed relationship, and the nature and duration of that relationship.
Daily pattern observation: where relevant and proportionate, observation of a parent’s general daily pattern, to establish whether their account of their routine, work, and childcare arrangements is accurate.
Associations: identifying individuals who are regularly present in a child’s life through contact with a parent, and conducting background checks where there is a genuine welfare reason to do so.
Conducting Lifestyle Checks Properly
Lifestyle investigations in a family law context must be conducted proportionately and lawfully. Surveillance is limited to public places and does not intrude into genuinely private spaces. The investigation should be focused on the specific concern that justified it, not an open-ended enquiry into every aspect of the other parent’s life. And the findings must be reported honestly, including where they do not support the concern that prompted the investigation.
Family courts are alert to lifestyle investigations that look disproportionate, vindictive, or designed to harass rather than to genuinely establish facts relevant to a child’s welfare. A properly scoped, proportionate, and honestly reported investigation is a legitimate tool. One that oversteps those boundaries can damage the credibility of the parent who commissioned it.
Considering a lifestyle investigation for a child contact case? Contact UKPI Detectives for an honest assessment of whether it would help.
