Children & Custody
Family law deals with various areas in relation to children. This includes:
Adoption
Child Abduction
The abduction of a child is a devastating event to experience for the child and the carer. In such times, it is not easy to deal with legal proceedings. A family lawyer is therefore needed to explain the process and help you understand the circumstances around your case.
Child Custody
After the breakdown of a relationship deciding who takes custody of a child can be agonising. A family lawyer can guide you through the court process and help explain matters such as where the child will live, who will care for them and how child arrangements will be split between the parents.
Child Arrangements Orders
Deciding where a child will live after the breakdown of a relationship can be difficult. Our family lawyers can help guide parents to the best outcome for the child. Orders may also help regulate visits, calls, night stopovers and holidays with the absent parent. Coming to a mutual decision on this can be difficult, which is why our family lawyers are here to find the best outcome for both sides.
Child Protection
Safety of a child is vital and ensuring this is all set in place is an important step in safeguarding a child. Family law specialists can help you protect a child’s rights and help those involved reach an outcome that ensures the safety of the child.
Parental Responsibility Agreement
Parental responsibility is a legal concept that consists of the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority that most parents have in respect of their children. It includes the right to give consent to medical treatment. Normally, the consent of all those with parental responsibility is needed before a child’s name can be changed or they are taken out of the country.
A parental responsibility agreement gives those rights. An unmarried father often does not have such rights.
A parental responsibility agreement is particularly useful:
- for unmarried fathers where the child was born before 1 December 2003
- in cases where an unmarried father of a child born after 1 December 2003 is not on the birth certificate for some reason
- where a couple marry and the other party already has a child.
- in all Civil Partnerships where either party already has a child, or gives birth after the couple become civil partners.
Your lawyer will:
- Draw up the agreement
- Make an appointment for you at your local Magistrates Court for formal signing
- Explain how the document is signed and witnessed
- Send the agreement off to the Family Division of the High Court to be registered
- Send sealed copies to you when we get them
- Advise for up to 30 minutes on the issues that can arise such as those below.