Children's Law Solicitors

The Children Act 1989 provides the legislative framework for child protection in England, including the paramount nature of the child’s welfare and the expectations and requirements around duties of care to children.

However, this is strengthened by the Children Act 2004 (which encourages partnerships between agencies and creates more accountability) by placing a duty on local authorities to appoint children’s services members who are ultimately accountable for the delivery of services, and to co-operate in safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children and young people.

If you’re considering moving away from the UK with your children, are a foreign national living in the UK with children, or you have children with a foreign national, there may be certain restrictions under international law that can prevent you from doing so. As no two situations are the same (and different jurisdictions may have different laws), we strongly recommend you speak to a child law solicitor before making any decisions.

Whether you’re dealing with child custody arrangements or child maintenance, need advice with fertility and surrogacy issues, or have queries regarding international law, it’s always best to speak to a specialist child law solicitor in the first instance.

They understand the sensitivities and care often needed to help navigate those delicate and complex situations, while ensuring that the needs of any children involved are put first.

• A ‘lives with” order (formerly known as a ‘residence order’) sets out which parent a child is to live with.
• A ‘spends time with’ order (formerly known as a ‘contact order’) details how much time a child spends with a parent
• A prohibited steps order can prevent a parent from doing a certain act in relation to a child, i.e. taking them abroad.
• A specific issues order can set out that a certain action should take place in relation to a child, i.e. they should be permitted to have the Covid vaccine.