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
Courts decide on welfare. Building your case around the child's interests isn't just right — it's effective.
Parenting plans and mediation where possible; prepared, evidence-led litigation where not.
Your case is run by our experienced family team, not passed down — with direct access to the person handling it.
Same-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.
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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