Child arrangements orders are a key tool in resolving disputes regarding children. Learn what they are, who needs them and how they work.
When the Children and Families Act came into force in 2014, the Act introduced us to new terminology and the ‘child arrangements order’. It replaced court orders that the family law profession had previously called ‘residence’ and ‘contact’ orders, and before that, ‘access’ and ‘custody’.
A single child arrangements order sets out arrangements about who a child should live with, spend time with and have other types of contact with and when these arrangements should take place. The Government aimed to “encourage separated parents to adopt less rigid and confrontational positions with regard to arrangements for their children."
In this guide to child arrangement orders, we will cover:
This insight concentrates on the legal position in England and Wales. Find out more about child arrangements in Scotland.