Court-directed paternity testing: accredited list update

Father and child

09 April 2008

Complement Genomics Ltd. (trading as dadcheck) has been added to the list of accredited bodies approved by the Ministry of Justice to carry out court-directed tests for parentage.

Courts have a statutory power to direct a scientific test to ascertain the parentage of a child when one party does not want testing to be done. The courts have this power under section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969.

If the court makes such a direction, they must choose a tester from the list of accredited bodies, below, maintained by the Ministry of Justice.

List of bodies that may carry out court-directed parentage tests under section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act 1969

Name Addresss Telephone Fax Email
Anglia DNA Services Ltd Norwich Research Park, Colney Lane, Norwich, NR4 7UH 08454 565365 01603 450945 Email
Barts and The London Queen Mary University of London Haematology ICMS, Barts and The London, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT 020 7882 2274 020 7882 2183 Email
Complement Genomics Ltd. (trading as dadcheck) Unit 128i Bioscience Centre, Business and Innovation Centre, Sunderland SR5 2TA 0191 516 6500/6632 0191 516 6005 Email
Crucial Genetics University Department of Neurology, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF 0870 88 88 088 0870 88 88 089 Email
LGC Diagnostics Department LGC Building, Queens Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 ONJ 020 8943 8400 020 8943 8401 Email
Orchid Cellmark Ltd Blacklands Way, Abingdon Business Park Abingdon, Oxon OX14 1YX 01235 528609 01235 528141 Email
The Forensic Science Service Ltd New Business Division, Sales and Operational Planning Office, Trident Court, 2920 Solihull Parkway, Birmingham Business Park, Birmingham B37 7YN 0845 120 7272 0121 770 9289 Email

Details of how to apply for accreditation, the application form and further background information on court-directed paternity testing are available on the HMCS website.

Contact us

Sharon Rowand
Family Relationships Branch 2
Family Justice Division
4th Floor, Selborne House
54 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW

Tel:  020 7210 2653
Fax: 020 7210 8681

Email