When people are going through a separation, they often find themselves caught between two very different worlds. On the one hand, there are the practical and legal questions. What happens next? Do I need a solicitor? What is mediation? How will decisions be made about the children? What should I expect if matters end up in court? On the other hand, there are the emotional and personal questions. How do I make this decision? How do I communicate with my former partner? How do

When parents become involved in disputes about their children, it is understandable that they want the court to see that they are right. Often, by the time proceedings begin, both parents have spent months building a case. Each hopes that a judge will finally recognise what they have been trying to say all along. The difficulty is that the family court is not really interested in deciding which parent is the better person. The court's task is not to reward good behaviour or p

A Section 7 report is a written assessment prepared for the family court to help decide what’s best for a child when parents can’t agree. It’s usually carried out by a Cafcass Officer (Cafcass is the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service). The report gets its name from Section 7 of the Children Act 1989, which allows the court to request a professional evaluation of your child’s needs and the family situation. A court might order a Section 7 report when: ·

If you and your ex are having difficulty reaching an agreement about a specific matter affecting your child, you can try to reach a resolution in various ways. For example, mediation (see my previous blog for more information), joint counselling, or speaking to a lawyer can help. If things reach a stalemate, the family court can intervene by making a Specific Issue Order (SIO) under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989. Commons reasons to apply for an SIO include: Education: D

When a case about children is taken to the family court, the magistrates or judge have to make decisions about what to do in the best interests of your children. To do this, the court is required to consider the welfare checklist, which is set out at Section 1 of the Children Act 1989. The welfare checklist includes the following: The child’s wishes and feelings (considered in light of their age and understanding). · The court will consider the ascertainable wishes and