Children

What happens if the marriage or relationship breaks down and there are children involved? What happens if the parent refuses to allow the other parent to see or have any contact with the children? In such a situation that parent will have no choice but to make an application to court for contact. They can apply for contact on a weekly basis, for example each Saturday from 10am until 6pm. Or they may wish to have staying contact with their children, for example for the children to stay with them from Friday 6pm until Saturday 6 pm.

If you and your former partner can agree to the arrangements concerning the children ie

• where the children will live
• how much time they will spend with each parent
• how you will financially support your children

Then there is no need to attend court and matters can be dealt with amicably.

If an agreement cannot be reached you may need to apply to court for a court order. The following orders you can apply for are:

1. child arrangements order – A ‘child arrangements order’ decides:

• where your child lives
• when your child spends time with each parent
• when and what other types of contact take place (phone calls, for example)

‘Child arrangements orders’ have replaced ‘residence orders’ and ‘contact orders’.

2. prohibited steps order – prohibited a person from doing something ie stopping a parent from removing the child to another country

3. specific issue order – A ‘specific issue order’ is used to look at a specific question about how the child is being brought up, for example:

• which school they should go to
• if they should have a religious education
• should their surname be changed?

At Hallmark Solicitors we understand the emotional constraints and difficulties. We will do our utmost to reach a resolution. We will provide sound advice and that human touch which is so important to any case.