I den aktuelle dommen er det graden av samvær, og begrunnelsen for denne, EMD mener er en krenkelse av EMK artikkel åtte - ikke selve omsorgsovertakelsen.
EMD skriver blant annet at man må gjøre egne vurderinger av barnet i den spesifikke saken når samvær skal avgjøres, og at man ikke kan lene seg på generelle referanser om barns stabilitetsbehov.
« the Court is mindful that in cases such as the present one, there will inevitably be particular circumstances that need to be accommodated, and takes into account that it falls to the domestic authorities to make the proper assessment to that end. However, in the instant case, the Board and the City Court - which had found that A was a normally functioning child whose development was adequate for her age and that positive descriptions had been given of the applicants' interactions with A during previous visits did not explain, other than with very general references to the child's need for stability, why it would be contrary to A's best interests to see the applicants more than only four or six times a year.»
Les hele domm
