Prohibited Steps and Specific Issues Orders A Prohibited Steps Order enables a Court to place a specific prohibition upon the exercise of parent’s parental responsibility. The Order could be used, to prevent removal of the child from the country, removal of the child...
The Family Court no longer make what used to be known as residence orders. Decisions as to with whom a child is to live will be made by way of an all embracing child arrangements order. This has the same purpose of ‘settling the arrangements … as to the...
The Family Court no longer make what used to be known as contact orders. Decisions as to time spent with a non-resident parent will be made by way of an all embracing child arrangements order. A Child Arrangements Order will be made directed at the person with whom a...
An application by a parent for a child arrangements or other Children Act order will very often involve a difficult balancing act by the court. It can be a delicately weighed exercise for the judge who must make the decision and this will be particularly the case when...
Special guardianship is a legal option intended to provide permanence for children for whom adoption is not appropriate. It was introduced in the Adoption and Children Act 2002. A special guardianship order (SGO) gives the special guardian parental responsibility for...
The courts have long accepted that grandparents have an important role to play in the upbringing of children. Perhaps unfortunately however the Children Act 1989 does not give any particular contact rights or recognition to grandparents. The Act places every emphasis...
