Children Matters

We understand the harmful impact such disputes have on you and your family. We shall aim to try to negotiate and agree on matters without the need for you to spend money on expensive Court proceedings. The Child Arrangement Order can assist with matters such as: who the children live with, who they spend time with or otherwise have contact with. These orders normally last until the children are aged 16 (or 18 in exceptional circumstances).

These orders can be applied by:

• If you have lived with the child for at least 3 years in the last 5 years.
• The parties to the marriage where the children are a party to the family.
• If you have the consent of all those who have Parental Responsibility (See: the Parental Responsibility section below).
• If there is a Child Arrangement Order in place and you have the consent of all the people, the children live with.
• If the children are in care you can make an application if the Local Authority consent.

 

These orders can be applied:

1.   If you have lived with the child for at least three years in the last five years;
2.   The parties to the marriage where the children are a party to the family;
3.   If you have the consent of all those who have Parental Responsibility (See: Parental Responsibility section);
4.   If there is a Child Arrangement Order in place and you have the consent of all the people the children live with;
5.   If the children are in care, you can make an application if the Local Authority consent.

If you do not fall into the above categories, please do not worry as this does not automatically prevent you from making such an application. We would consider the circumstances of your case and where appropriate, we would prepare a formal application seeking the Court’s permission for you to proceed with the application. The Court will consider factors such as the merits of your application, connection to the children and if any such application would cause the children harm.;

We understand that sometimes emergency issues can arise, and you need immediate support and assistance. We are on hand to assist you and advise that you do not delay contacting our firm if such circumstances arise. 

These types of applications commonly arise for unmarried fathers who want to share the parental responsibility held by the mother. The PR can be acquired through:

• Entering into a PR Agreement with the child’s mother - We can draft this for you and have it registered.
• We can obtain a Child Arrangement Order from the Court which can also have the effect of determining who the children are to live and have contact with.
• We can obtain a Parental Responsibility Order.
• Jointly registering yourself on the birth certificate with the mother.

We can assist you by tailoring our services to your circumstances and then acting accordingly.

We appreciate the substantial input grandparents can have on the welfare of children. The positive influences that they can provide are considered second to none by many. If you are having trouble with achieving contact with your grandchildren, feel free to contact us and upon considering your circumstances we can our services to best assist you. We appreciate that there are no automatic rights for you to see grandchildren but do not stress as we can prepare an application to the Court informing the Court that contact should proceed as it is in the best interests of the children to spend time with their extended family.  The Court would consider factors such as the impact on the children, circumstances of the application and the connection to the children.