When parents separate, the children's arrangements matter more than anything else in the case — and the law judges every question by one standard: the child's welfare. Connaught Law's children solicitors help parents agree arrangements where possible, and secure child arrangements orders where agreement fails — including urgent and international cases.
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How We Can Help
Contact, Custody & What Courts Actually Order
"Custody" and "contact" survive in everyday speech, but the law under the Children Act 1989 now works through child arrangements orders: who a child lives with, who they spend time with, and how. Parental responsibility — the legal authority over schooling, medical care and religion — sits alongside, usually shared. Getting the vocabulary right matters less than knowing what can actually be ordered; our guide to child living arrangements covers it in detail.
Agreeing Arrangements Without Court
Courts expect parents to try agreement first — in most cases a mediation information meeting (MIAM) is required before applying — and agreed arrangements genuinely work better, because nobody parents well under a court timetable. We negotiate parenting plans, advise alongside mediation, and where useful convert agreements into consent orders so they bind. The money side runs separately: our child maintenance guide explains how.
The Court Process
Where agreement fails, the court decides by the child's welfare, guided by the statutory checklist — wishes and feelings by age, needs, stability, any risk of harm — with Cafcass reporting independently. Cases run from first hearing towards settlement at every stage, with contested findings reserved for the cases that need them; our guide to fact-finding hearings explains how disputed allegations are handled.
Enforcement & Changing Arrangements
An order that's ignored isn't the end of the road: courts can enforce child arrangements orders and vary them when circumstances change — new jobs, new homes, children growing older and wanting different things. The wrong response to a breached order is self-help; the right one is fast, documented and through the court, which is how we run it.
Safeguarding Concerns
Where a child's safety is genuinely in issue — domestic abuse, substance misuse, neglect — the court can order supervised contact, conditions or, rarely, no contact, and urgent applications can be made without notice. We act for parents raising concerns and parents answering them; in both roles, evidence and the child's welfare — not the parents' war — decide the outcome. Our domestic abuse service works alongside where protection orders are needed.
International Cases
Relocation abroad with a child needs the other parent's consent or the court's permission — and removal without either can amount to abduction, with treaty machinery for return. We handle relocation applications from both sides, cross-border contact arrangements, and urgent abduction responses; our guide to international child arrangements covers the framework.
How We Work
We start by lowering the stakes where they can be lowered: what you actually disagree about, what the realistic court outcome would be, and whether a negotiated plan gets there without eighteen months of proceedings. Where court is necessary we prepare properly — statements, evidence, Cafcass engagement — and keep the litigation about the child, which is both the law's standard and, not coincidentally, what wins.
Why Connaught Law
01Child-centred, strategicallyCourts decide on welfare. Building your case around the child's interests isn't just right — it's effective.
02Agreement-first, court-capableParenting plans and mediation where possible; prepared, evidence-led litigation where not.
03Senior attention throughoutYour case is run by our experienced family team, not passed down — with direct access to the person handling it.
04Urgent and international capabilitySame-day applications, relocation and abduction cases — handled at the speed children's cases demand.
Fee structures are set out on our fees page — discussed openly before you commit to anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between custody, contact and a child arrangements order?
They're the same territory in different vocabularies: the court now makes child arrangements orders covering who a child lives with ("custody" in old terms) and who they spend time with ("contact"). Parental responsibility — the right to make major decisions — is separate and usually shared regardless of where the child lives.
Do I have to try mediation before going to court?
In most cases you must attend a mediation information meeting (MIAM) before applying, with exemptions where there's domestic abuse, urgency or other defined circumstances. Mediation itself is voluntary — but courts notice who engaged constructively, and a mediated plan is usually faster and kinder than a contested order.
At what age can a child decide where to live?
There's no magic age short of 16: the child's wishes and feelings carry weight according to age and understanding, so a teenager's clearly-reasoned view is influential while a young child's is one factor among many. Courts distinguish a child's genuine voice from a coached one — and so do Cafcass officers.
Can grandparents apply to see their grandchildren?
Yes — grandparents usually need the court's permission to apply, which is commonly granted where there's a real relationship, and courts recognise the value of those bonds. As with everything in this area, an agreed arrangement beats an ordered one; we help with both.
Arrangements for your children in dispute?
Tell us what's happening. We'll give you an honest view of the realistic outcome and the calmest route to it — for you and for them.
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