Where possible, the court will encourage contact between the child and the absent parent unless there are some compelling reasons why this should not happen.

Orders the court can make

Under the Children Act the court can make the following Orders:

Contact Order

This is an order requiring the person that a child lives with to allow the child to visit or stay with the person named in the order, or for that person and the child to have contact with each other.

The emphasis is on the child as opposed to the parent. Where possible, the court will encourage contact between the child and the absent parent unless there are some compelling reasons why this should not happen. Each case will be unique, but usually, a contact order will be made by the court, if the judge considers that it is in the best interests of the child to have contact with the absent parent.

Residence Order

If there is a dispute over which parent the children should live with, the courts may be asked to make an order determining the arrangement. In some cases they will make a 'Shared Residence Order' or a 'Joint Residence Order' where the child or children divide their time between parents and/or their respective households.

Prohibited Steps Order

This prohibits the person specified in the order from taking certain steps relating to a child. These orders are often made to prevent a parent taking a child abroad or removing the child from the other parent.

Specific Issue Order

This order enables the court to give directions to determine a specific issue which has arisen, or which may arise. This could be in connection with an aspect of parental responsibility for a child including, the choice of school, medical treatment or religious upbringing.