If you are being prevented from seeing your child, or any child that you have a significant relationship with, such as a grandchild, you may need our assistance in trying to re-establish contact.

Our first aim would be to assist you in negotiating an amicable agreement with the person withholding contact. Ultimately, if you cannot reach an agreement then your final remedy may be to apply to Court for a Child Arrangements Order.

Equally if you are responding to a child arrangement application, in that the child lives with you and you believe that it would be detrimental to the child to have contact with the person seeking it, we can advise you on your position and represent you through the proceedings to assist you in ensuring the right outcome for your child.

We provide free initial telephone consultations for all our clients. Call our specialist Child Contact Solicitors now on 0844 800 9860 or contact us online for advice about your specific child contact issue.

Child Arrangements Orders

If necessary, a Child Arrangements Order can be made which may stipulate certain conditions on the person receiving contact, such as they must not drink alcohol within 24 hours before contact taking place.

When considering a Child Arrangements Order the court will keep the welfare of the child as its primary concern and will consider: –

• The ascertainable wishes & feelings of the child concerned (considered in the light of his age and understanding)

• The child’s physical, emotional and educational needs

• The likely effect on the child of any change in circumstances

• The child’s age, sex, background and any characteristics which the court considers relevant

• Any harm which the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering

• How capable the child’s parents, and any other person in relation to the case, are of meeting his needs

The Court Process

The Court will only intervene by imposing a Court Order when it has become absolutely apparent that no agreement can be reached.  Therefore the proceedings are set up in such a way that the parties are given as much opportunity as possible to reach an agreement outside of Court.

The Court use CAFCASS  (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) Officers to assist this process and where necessary to prepare assessments and recommendations for the Court on what the most appropriate outcome is for the child, having regard to the child’s best interests.

Enforcing Child Arrangements Orders

We can assist you when a child arrangements order is ignored by the person who has the child in their care. We will try to assist you on getting contact back on schedule by agreement in the first instance. If this is not possible, we can assist you in making an application to Court for enforcement of the order.

Our Child Contact Solicitors understand that this is a very distressing time for you and will therefore deal with your case as quickly as the Court system allows us to.

Our Child Contact Service

We provide free initial telephone consultations for all our clients. Call our specialist Child Solicitors now on 0844 800 9860 or contact us online for advice about your specific child contact issue.

If you have suffered from domestic violence or if your child is at risk of abuse then we may be able to apply for Legal Aid to meet the costs of your legal fees.

If you are on a low income and do not meet any of the above eligibility criteria, you may wish to consider using Mediation to resolve your child contact issues as Legal Aid remains in place for this service. For further information please see our Family Mediation pages.

If you are not eligible for Legal Aid, we have a range of fee options available and would be happy to discuss these during your initial telephone consultation.

Call our specialist Child Contact Solicitors now on 0844 800 9860 or contact us online for advice about your specific child contact issue.