If a Court Order is necessary we can assist you apply for the following under the Children Act 1989:

  • Child Arrangements Orders (previous called contact orders/access/residence orders/custody)
    This is an order which will set out arrangements relating to:

    • (a) with whom a child is to live, spend time or otherwise have contact, and (b) when a child is to live, spend time or otherwise have contact with any other person including telephone and letter contact.
    • Contact may however in some circumstances be limited or supervised, and it is possible in extreme cases for the Court to order that a parent should not see a child at all.
  • Parental Responsibility
  • Prohibited Steps Orders.  This can limit when certain parental rights and duties can be exercised, for example, preventing an ex-partner from taking your child abroad without permission
  • Specific Issue Order. This contains directions to resolve a particular issue in dispute for example, a disagreement in relation to a child’s education or medical treatment.  This can be made in conjunction with a Child Arrangement Order or on its own
  • Special Guardianship Orders
  • Moving Abroad
  • Child maintenance and support issues
  • Child abduction

When making a decision in relation to your child(ren) the court will always give the following three principles the highest priority:

  • The child’s welfare is of the paramount importance;
  • The court shall have regard to the general principle that any delay is likely to prejudice the welfare of the child; and
  • The court shall not make an order unless it considers that doing so would be better for the children than making no order at all.

The court will also have regard to:

  • The ascertainable wishes and feeling of the child concerned (considered in the light of the child’s age and understanding);
  • The child’s physical, emotional and educational needs;
  • The likely effect on the child of any change in his/her circumstances;
  • The child’s age, sex, background, and any other characteristic which the court considers relevant;
  • Any harm which the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering;
  • How capable each of the child’s parents, and any other person in relation to whom the court considers the question to be relevant, is of meeting the child’s needs;
  • The range of powers available to the court under the Children Act in the proceedings in question

Our team are members of Resolution and are experienced in representing parents, grandparents, children and relatives in applications to the Court.  We will support you and your child(ren) through the process. We aim to resolve disputes as quickly and amicably as possible, recognising your need to maintain an ongoing relationship as parents in the future.   We have experience working with a range of other professionals including, leading Counsel, child and family therapists, counsellors, mediators and child psychologists.

If you are considering making an application to the Court in relation to your child(ren) we offer an initial call with one of our representatives in order to assess whether we are able to assist you and to discuss anticipated fees for our services.

Want to talk? Our Family Law Clinics are held once a month and offer complimentary 20-minute appointments. Find out if you could benefit.

If you would like to speak to our expert legal team about this, or any related subject then please contact our team by phone on 0207 936 6329, Email or by completing our Quick Contact Form below.