There are many aspects regarding children in Family Law. I can help you understand the best approach by listening and understanding your specific needs for you and your children.
Parental Responsibility
Parental Responsibility gives you a greater say over your child’s upbringing and an input about major decisions relating to your child’s life, such as where they attend school, about their religion, legal name, receipt of medical treatment and access to their medical or school records, and if they can be taken abroad on holiday, as well as who can be appointed as their legal Guardian.
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Child Arrangements Order (Child Custody)
Children of separated parents have a right to be able to spend time with both parents even after a breakdown of their parents’ relationship. If parties cannot agree or compromise, and mediation does not work, a child arrangement order can be applied from the court to determine who the child lives with and what contact or time he or she will spend with the other parent.
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Prohibited Steps Orders
Prohibited Steps Orders are put in place to prevent a parent from making a unilateral decision about the child’s upbringing, taking the child abroad without the other parent’s consent or removing him or her from the primary carer’s control and supervision, or the jurisdiction.
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Specific Issue Order (Relocation)
Such an order is made under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989 to resolve a contentious issue relating to a child. This could involve disputes about medical treatment, change of name, the type, provision and choice of education and special needs, or whether the child can relocate within England and Wales or abroad.
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Special Guardianship Order
The order gives the special guardian (must be aged 18 and above) parental responsibility for the child, which grants that person to be able to exercise to the exclusion of any other person with parental responsibility, save for another special guardian. It is a private law order, which is made where a child cannot return to a parent, but does not need to be kept in care or be adopted. it does not exclude the natural parents from the child’s life, but enables the special guardian to control their involvement and to provide care, permanence and stability for the child.
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Grandparents’ Rights
Grandparents do not have automatic legal rights to see their grandchild if a parent stops them for seeing them. However, there may be steps you can take to get contact – you may try to get help in seeing your grandchild through an informal, family-based arrangement with both parents or mediation. If this is unsuccessful, you can seek permission from the court to apply for a court order.