England

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Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate Family law module
This is an engaging module where you'll learn about the key areas of family law in England and Wales. By employing a range of activities, it will expose you to interesting issues and debates concerning families and children, such as the medical rights of children and children’s rights. You'll examine how family law responds to change in society and consider how the law may regulate or intervene in our private lives. During the module, you will have an opportunity to understand how the knowledge and skills you gain are used in legal practice and other employment settings.
This module is comprised of three blocks of study.
Block 1: Recognition
In this block, you will:
Block 2: Rights
In this block, you will:
Block 3: Regulation
In this block, you will:
If you intend to study this module as part of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and hope to enter the legal profession, you should read our Careers in Law information. There are different entry requirements into the legal professions in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. It is your responsibility to ensure you meet these requirements.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You will be required to submit a short post on the Tutor Group Forum prior to your first assignment. No prior knowledge of family law is needed to make this post.
You will have digital access via Law Trove to Family Law 3rd edition. Lamont, R. (ed.) (2022), and a module website, which includes:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
W230 is an option module in our:
Family law starts once a year – in February.
This page describes the module that will start in February 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in February 2030.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
If you are new to study at university level, or are returning after some time, we recommend that you first study an OU level 1 law module such as Criminal law and the courts (W111) or Civil justice and tort law (W112), unless you are a graduate entry student.
If you are studying this module as part of the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (LLB) (R81) or Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (graduate entry) (LLB) (R82), then you will need to have studied or be studying on a presentation of Public law (W211) before enrolling on W230.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You might find the following resources useful in preparation for this module:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying W230 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
StartEndRegister byEngland fee
30 Jan 202731 Jul 202707 Jan 2027£2,044
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Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2027. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
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