Many grandparents play a key role in the lives of their grandchildren from helping with day-to-day activities to providing regular childcare.
When relationships breakdown, grandchildren and grandparents often suffer a separation through no wish of their own.
Grandparents do not have any automatic rights when it comes to seeing their grandchildren and nor do they have automatic parental responsibility or the ability to get parental responsibility through a court order. However, the courts recognise a child’s right to family life, and that includes grandparents who have supported and cared for them.
Grandparents' rights to see and spend time with their grandchildren after divorce or a family breakdown can be a thorny issue. However, there are steps you can take if you find one or both parents are stopping you from seeing your grandchildren.
If you are given permission to make your application, you will find the orders the court can make for grandparents are like the ones that are made for parents which set out where the child will live and who they will spend time with (a “child arrangements order”). However, there are some extra ones to be aware of: