Children and Childcare Arrangements Solicitors in London

When you need advice on custody and contact after a separation or divorce our child arrangement solicitors are here to help you find solutions that work for you and your family.

Get in touch with us today to see how our child law solicitors can help you.

We provide child law advice at our offices in London, over the phone or online via Web Conferencing such as Zoom or Skype. For expert legal advice, contact our children solicitors in London.

How our children solicitors can help

Our family and child care lawyers can answer all your children law questions, including:

Applying for a child arrangement order so your child lives with you or so you can have contact or shared care
Stopping contact between a child and their father or mother
Changing a child arrangement order
Resolving parent disputes and applying for specific issue orders or prohibited steps orders
Parenting plans for separated parents
Alienating behaviour parental contact disputes
Domestic abuse, injunction orders and child contact
Domestic violence allegations and fact-finding hearings
Holiday contact orders so you can take your child overseas on holiday or stop a holiday
Relocation orders if you or the other parent wants to move overseas with your child and the other parent objects
Parental child abduction advice
Enforcing contact orders
Maintenance and child support
Step parent rights and contact
Grandparents’ rights
Parental responsibility agreements and applications
Changing a child’s surname
Special guardianship orders
Legal support during child mediation
Immigration status and child custody, contact and relocation

Child arrangements after divorce

If you cannot agree on the arrangements for your children after your separation or divorce either you or your ex-partner can apply to court for a child arrangement order. When the judge decides an application for custody, contact or a child welfare-related question, the child’s welfare is the paramount consideration.

Our child care solicitors can help you agree the parenting arrangements with your former partner so you do not need to go to court for a child arrangement order. We can also provide specialist child law legal advice during family mediation. Our specialist lawyers understand the importance to you and your family of reaching amicable childcare arrangements that meet the needs of your family.

Child care arrangement disputes

If you cannot agree the child custody, shared care, contact or other child welfare issues with your child’s parent then you or they can apply to court for an order, such as a child arrangement order, specific issue order or prohibited steps order.

The court encourages parents to reach an agreement through direct discussions, solicitor negotiations or family mediation. Reaching an agreement is not always possible. You may need to apply to court or respond to an application started by your partner.

Our expert family law solicitors will advise you on the court process and the range of orders the court has the power to make. Our advice focuses on trying to resolve the dispute. If reaching an agreement is impossible, we provide you with the specialist legal advice needed to make the court process as stress-free as possible.

The role of mediation in child care arrangement disputes

If you cannot agree on the parenting arrangements for your children, you normally need to attend a family mediation meeting (called a MIAM) before a court application can be made. The MIAM is to see if you should try and reach an agreement using mediation or another non-court-based resolution option. If mediation works for you then a court application may be unnecessary.

If children law court proceedings have been started the court can adjourn the proceedings for family mediation to take place if the judge thinks that a trained mediator may help you resolve the child arrangement dispute.

There are situations where couples are exempt from attending family mediation. For example, if there has been a history of violence there are immediate safeguarding issues.

Mediation is an effective process, allowing many couples to work out arrangements for their children between themselves, without the stress and expense of having to go to court. However, it can be a worry going into mediation without knowing your rights or the likely order a court would make if you applied for a child arrangement order. Our child arrangement solicitors can support you inbetween mediation sessions so you have the confidence to negotiate in mediation to secure childcare arrangements that meet your child’s needs.

Frequently Asked Questions on Childcare Arrangements

What is a child arrangement order?

A child arrangement order sets out the parenting arrangements for a child. The order may say that the child is parented in a shared parenting regime or lives with their mother and has overnight, weekend, mid-week or other contact with their father. Extended family members can ask the court to make a child arrangement order in their favour. For example, a grandparent or a step-parent who wants to maintain a relationship after a divorce.

How much does a child arrangement order cost in the UK?

The cost of a child arrangement order depends on whether the order is agreed or the complexity of the issues and allegations and the number of court hearings. Our friendly team of family lawyers can give you an idea of likely costs and timescales when we have some information about why you need a child arrangement order.

Is a child arrangement order legally binding?

A child arrangement order is legally binding. A parent can apply to the court to enforce the order if it is not followed. Child contact solicitors can apply back to the court that made the child arrangement order. The solicitor can ask the court to change the order if the original order no longer meets the contact or welfare needs of the child.

Do you get financial help with a child arrangement order?

If your child lives with you, or the court orders that your child should live with you under a child arrangement order, you can ask the other parent to pay child support. If the other parent will not pay child maintenance a child solicitor can ask the Child Maintenance Service to carry out an assessment. If care is shared the other parent may not be liable to pay child support under the rules.

Do I need a solicitor for child arrangements?

You can sort out parenting arrangements directly with your former partner. However, most parents find it helpful to understand their legal rights with advice from child arrangement order solicitors.

Our approach to child arrangement matters

Our family and child law solicitors believe in cases of parental separation and divorce, your child’s welfare is paramount. By providing sensitive but firm advice our child care solicitors help estranged couples find an amicable child arrangement solution that is in the best interests of their children.

With empathetic advice from our child arrangement solicitors, we will help negotiate arrangements that meet the needs of the children and provide parents with the means to adjust to their new situation, without undue stress. Normally we achieve this through negotiation or legal support during family mediation. If parents cannot reach an agreement through mediation (or should not due to factors such as domestic violence) then they may need court representation.

Whether you are trusting our child law solicitors to assist you with working out arrangements for the care of your children or in representing you in a child arrangement order application we take our responsibility to your family very seriously. By approaching every family separation and parenting dispute case in a bespoke manner, we ensure every family who seeks advice from a child lawyer at OTS Solicitors feels fully supported throughout their separation and in their journey to securing agreed or court ordered parenting arrangements.

Get in touch with our children law solicitors in London

We provide child law advice from our offices in London, over the phone or online via Web Conferencing such as Zoom or Skype. For expert legal advice, contact our child law solicitors in London.

Your Questions and our answers about Children and Childcare Arrangements

You may be able to apply for an order such as a Specific Issue Order or a Prohibited Steps Order, that can address matters regarding children, including permission to take a child abroad. A Specific Issue Order is used to address a particular issue concerning a child’s upbringing when parents cannot agree, such as whether a child should travel abroad.

However, before applying for such an order, it’s advisable to attempt to reach an agreement with the other parent regarding the proposed travel plans. If an agreement cannot be reached and there are concerns or disagreements about taking the child abroad please contact us regarding the next steps on 02039599123 or click here

Thank you for your enquiry.

Although there are no children court orders in place to stop you from taking the children abroad (a prohibited steps order) the law says that if you take the children to Pakistan without the agreement of your former wife or a UK court order giving you permission to take the children abroad on holiday you are “abducting” the children .

You should therefore not take the children out of the UK without first getting the agreement of your former wife in writing to any planned trip or a court order giving you permission to take the children out of the UK for the purposes of a holiday.

It may be the case that your former wife is objecting to the trip for the children to see your parents if the children spent the whole summer in Pakistan last year? If that is the case you could agree that the children spend longer with her during the week or during other shorter school holidays or that the children will go to Pakistan every year but for say three or four weeks or on alternate years for the full summer holiday.

If you cannot resolve matters with your former wife then you will need advice on starting children court proceedings for an order to let you take the children to Pakistan. When deciding whether to make an order the court will look at what it considers to be in the best interests of your children.

You do need family law advice on taking your children abroad on holiday. We would therefore ask you to call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

Please note the answer provided above is for information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. In order for OTS Solicitors to provide legal advice you would need to instruct OTS Solicitors family law team. If you would like to proceed with legal advice and consult with our family law solicitors please call us on 0203 959 9123.

Thank you for your enquiry. We are sorry to hear about the problems you are experiencing in seeing your children as much as you would like after your separation from your former partner.

If you cannot reach an agreement with your former partner over the amount of time the children should spend with you then you could apply to the court for a child arrangements order. This order is the new name for an access order or contact order. A child arrangements order will set out how much time the children should spend with you each week and can cover holiday contact as well.

When the court is deciding on an appropriate child arrangements order and contact the court will take into account the children’s wishes.

In relation to costs, the general rule is that a mother and father will pay their own legal costs of applying for a child arrangements order or responding to an application for a child arrangements order. It is very rare for in a children court case for a judge to order that one parent pays all or a share of the other parent’s legal fees. The conduct of one parent would need to be quite extreme for the court to consider making a costs order.

If you take legal advice, you may be able to agree an increase in contact with your children with your former partner through solicitor negotiations. That would avoid the need for a court application.

To discuss your situation and your children law options we would need to see you. We can give you expert children law advice and advise you on the best way forward and the cost of applying for a child arrangements order. Please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Unless you have a residence order or a child arrangements order in place, you will need the permission of your former wife to take your son abroad on holiday. If your former wife will not agree to your taking your son abroad on holiday, you can make an application to the court for an order giving you permission to take your son abroad on holiday.

We would recommend that you take advice now as it can take a little while to secure a court order to give you permission to take your son abroad on holiday. If your ex-wife will not agree and does not have any valid reason to object to your going on holiday then the court is likely to make an order giving you permission to take your son on holiday after assessing what orders are in your son’s best interests.

The family team at OTS Solicitors can represent you in court proceedings if your ex-wife continues to object to your taking your son abroad on holiday. Please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to discuss how we can help you.

The family team at OTS Solicitors

Thank you for your enquiry.

From the information provided, I understand that you have contact social services in regard to the children’s welfare whilst under their father’s care. Following an initial contact, the child services team will allocate a social worker to consider your report and provide a report with recommendations. If you feel that it is not safe for the children’s father to continue contact, you can apply to the Family Court for a formal Child Arrangements Order which sets out the level of contact the children have with their father. In addition, if you would like to limit his ability to attend the school or your home without prior notice, then you can also apply for a Prohibited Steps Order. For more information, please call 02039599123 or click here

Thank you for your enquiry.

There are various options available to you in order to challenge the breach of the order. We would need further details with regards to the circumstances to advise you on options available. For more information, please call 02039599123 or click here

Thank you for your enquiry.

You may be able to request a non-molestation order lasting longer than six months depending on the evidence. We would need further information on the aspects of the custody situation to determine the scope of the order. For more information, please call 02039599123 or click here

If an individual fails to follow a Child Arrangement Order, they may be in contempt of court, which can result in serious consequences. To discuss your options going forward on how to enforce your CAO, call us on 02039 599123 or contact us here.

Thank you for getting in touch with us.

Your enquiry is being reviewed by our team and one of our solicitors will contact you shortly.

In the meantime, you can also call us on 0203 959 9123 or contact us here

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Your enquiry is being reviewed by our team and one of our solicitors will contact you shortly.

In the meantime, you can also call us on 0203 959 9123 or contact us here.

Essentially no parent can stop the other from seeing their own children unless there are safety concerns, risk of harm to the child or if they are victims of domestic violence (DV) or may be subjected to such. Indeed any assertions from the alleging party will have to ensure there is a determination made by the court or authorities before any ties or contact can be terminated or suspended altogether. In the process of this investigation contact may sometimes be limited or suspended.

If a compromise or agreement cannot be reached between the parties for contact to take place, the parent prevented from seeing or spending time with the children will have to make an application to the court for a Child Arrangements Order (CAO). If discussions with your partner have failed or broken down, and you have exhausted all attempts and avenues to compromise, you may then apply to the court to issue proceedings for a CAO; for contact.

Unless there are exceptional exemptions like DV, the Application would have to attend mediation first to try and resolve issues before they can make an application to the court. The other party is encouraged to attend but if they choose not to, the Applicant may then issue proceedings. This is on the assumption that the Applicant parent concerned has parental responsibility which gives then a bundle of rights to exercise this privilege.

Please make an appointment or feel free to give us a call to chat first on 02039 599 123 and see how our expertise in children matters may assist you further. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for getting in touch with us.

Your enquiry is being reviewed by our team and one of our solicitors will contact you shortly.

In the meantime, you can also call us on 0203 959 9123 or contact us here.