I can take your case on from start to finish in the same way a firm of solicitors do
I can take your case on from start to finish in the same way a firm of solicitors do
If you are separating or going through a divorce, one of the most important things to work out is how much time you and your ex-partner will have with your children.
Child access is covered as part of a Child Arrangements Order, which specifies who the child will live and spend time with.
We are ready to advise you on your rights and responsibilities when it comes to maintaining a relationship with a child following a divorce.
The law now assumes that a child will continue to have a full and meaningful relationship with both parents following divorce, unless that would be harmful to the child. But we can also help other family members to have or to maintain a relationship, including:
We can help you through this hard time. We’re known for taking a no-nonsense approach to sorting out the arrangements for children.
We’ll be honest with you from the start of your case about your chances of achieving what you want (many solicitors will tell you what you what to hear, which may leave you disappointed down the line). Often we help people who have received bad advice, or whose corner has not been fought.
Family mediation can be a less confrontational and more cost-effective way to resolve a dispute. We can discuss your situation and if mediation is right for you.
If you decide to go ahead with mediation, you can benefit from our cost effective mediation support service If you decide to if you decide to represent yourself at that stage.
Child contact disputes (technically known as “Children Act proceedings”, commonly known by a variety of names such as “child custody cases”) can have life-changing consequences for children and parents. At the simplest end, these disputes involve disagreements about who a child should live with. At the more complex end, these disputes can involve allegations of domestic abuse, parental alienation, and serious welfare or safeguarding concerns about the child involved.
Inevitably, Children Act proceedings are amongst the most stressful and emotionally draining types of dispute that a person could find themselves in. Despite the intensity of the emotions being felt, the key to success is clear, strategic thinking, a practical approach, and, above all, a deep understanding of the overarching principle that the welfare of the child is a paramount consideration in such proceedings. A barrister, who is a specialist family lawyer, can help to achieve a successful outcome.
Children Act proceedings usually involve dealing with statutory bodies such as the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service ("CAFCASS"), and sometimes the local authority. As expert family lawyers, we understand how these bodies think and operate.
In such cases, the Family Court commonly makes one or more of the following kinds of orders:
We are able to help with any aspect of Children Act proceedings, including: advising on strategy, preparing applications and documents for submission to the court, preparing witness statements, and providing representation in the Family Court.
COURT PROCESS AND INDICATIVE TIMELINES
To gain court-ordered access to a child, you typically need to apply for a Child Arrangements Order through the family court. Before applying, you may need to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM), unless there are specific exemptions like domestic abuse. If an agreement cannot be reached through mediation, the court will assess the situation and make a decision based on the child's best interests.
In children matters the Court will always try and resolve matters as quickly as possible for the sake of the children. However, you should be aware that this can often take between 6 to 12 months from when an Application is issued to conclude arrangements even though the Courts do their best to decide matters quickly where children are involved.
This sets out a simple guide to the Child Arrangements Programme. The full programme is contained in Practice Direction 12B of the Court Rules here.
Parents or carers of children are generally able to start proceedings without permission, but if not there is an additional early stage where you have to seek ‘LEAVE’ (permission) of the Court to apply (Use form C2).
Before making an application to Court all applicants must firstly attend a ‘MIAM’ unless they are exempt. A MIAM is a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting, the aim of which is to explore if the problem can be settled by Mediation. If the case is not suitable for mediation or it cannot progress the mediator will confirm this to allow you to carry on and apply.
The person who wants the help of the Court now have to ISSUE an application at the Court using specific forms (usually C100) and this will set a timetable in motion. This person is the Applicant.
At least 14 days before the first Court hearing (a date set by the Court) the Applicant must SERVE (send) the documents on the other party. The Court may do this for you if you have no lawyer – you will need to check.
The other person should ACKNOWLEDGE receipt of the documents and fill in their ANSWER form within 14 days of service. There is a form they can use for this (Form C7). The person responding to the application is called the RESPONDENT.
Once the application has been issued CAFCASS (Children & Families Court Advisory & Support Service) – will start making some basic safeguarding enquiries with the Police and Social Services. You may receive a phone call from them. At this stage they will only want to talk to you about any safety issues for you or the children.
The first hearing is called a First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA). To give time for the safeguarding checks it will usually not be less than 4 weeks after issue of the application. At the FHDRA the Court will consider the safeguarding information and will try and encourage the parties to resolve the matter by agreement.
If the safeguarding information is not available the Court might postpone the FHDRA.
If everything can be agreed the Court might make a final order and the case will end.
The Court will listen to both parties but will not hear any evidence, and if things cannot be completely resolved will normally make DIRECTIONS to progress the case or get the case ready for a fuller hearing. The Court will not always make temporary orders about the children at this stage. The Court can ask you both to go to a MIAM if you have not already done so. The Court might order CAFCASS to prepare a report. Typically this will take about 12 weeks to prepare and if ordered the Court will ask you to come back to Court a couple of weeks after the report is finished. If there are factual disputes that are important to the decision the Court has to make about the children (for example domestic abuse allegations that are denied) the Court might decide to deal with those first and direct both parties to prepare written statements about the allegations in advance of a FACT FINDING HEARING. After a fact finding hearing the Court can consider if it needs a report from CAFCASS, based upon what the judge has decided did or did not happen.
FACT FINDING HEARING (if necessary)
Usually both of you will give evidence, so this hearing might take longer, perhaps a day or more than 1 day.
CAFCASS REPORT (if necessary) - will take at least 12 weeks.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION APPOINTMENT. Once the Court has decided on what happened in the past at any fact finding hearing and everyone has received any recommendations from CAFCASS you will be called back to see if the matter can be agreed and the case will end. If it can a final order is likely to be made. If not the case will probably be listed for a final hearing, with time for you to give evidence. The Court might ask you to put your case in writing in the form of a witness statement.
Prior to a FINAL HEARING the applicant has to prepare a BUNDLE for use by all sides and the Judge at Court. This is basically all the papers and statements in the case set out in an organised way. (If there are no lawyers involved in the case the court may prepare the bundle.) Other documents that the Court normally requires are an up to date summary, a position statement (i.e. what you want!) and a simple chronology.
The FINAL HEARING itself is a form of trial when usually both parties will give evidence and will be able to challenge the parts of the other persons evidence by asking them questions. The Judge will listen and come to a decision. ORDER(S) are then made telling the parties what they can and cannot do.
This should normally be the end of the matter but you may have to return to court to seek enforcement of an Order if the other party is not abiding by it, or if the order needs to be changed and you cannot agree it.
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