Arrangements for Children
When parents separate, only a minority go to the family court to help make decisions about when they see their children or who their children should live with and yet after a split these can be the most bitterly argued over issues.
The Children Act 1989 is there to give paramount consideration to the welfare of the child or children. So if you can't agree on contact arrangements amicably as parents, there are steps you can take but it is important to take legal advice.
If you are seeking contact with your child after a separation you can apply to the Court for a child arrangements order, similarly, if you are trying to prevent an ex-partner having contact with your children, perhaps because of welfare concerns, you can mount a legal opposition to the granting of any child arrangements order.
If you already have an order yet your ex-partner is still making it very difficult for you to have contact with your children, you can ask a solicitor or mediator to help you enforce the contact order.
Sometimes arrangements about who a child will live with or see are agreed but there is a dispute between parents about a specific issue, for example what school a child will attend or whether a child should have a medical procedure. We can assist in trying to resolve such an issue.
If there is a dispute about who a child should live we can assist you in making an application to the Court to determine this. When determining such applications, the Court will consider what is in the best interests of the child.
Our specialist team has extensive experience in acting in such applications. We have three Children Panel Lawyers and a Resolution Accredited Specialist together with an in-house barrister.