This guide is for you if you are a parent and you disagree about arrangements for your children with other parent or other family members about things like:

• where your child lives,
• who they live with and when,
• how often they see the parent they don’t live with most of the time,
• who else they should see, and
• you want to apply for a court order about the arrangements for your children.

You may have split up recently or years ago, shared a home or never lived together. Maybe you had an informal agreement between you about your children but it no longer works for some reason. It doesn’t matter what is behind your disagreement; this guide is still for you.

This guide will also be useful if it is not you but your ex or other family member who is applying for a court order.

It is also for people supporting others in this situation, for example Personal Support Unit volunteers, CAB volunteers, housing support workers, advice workers and court staff as well as relatives and friends.

What does this guide do?

It explains how to apply for a court order about the arrangements for your children. These orders are called child arrangements orders. A child arrangements order sets out who your child or children will live with in the future, who they will spend time or have contact with, and when these arrangements will take place.

It does not explain how to apply for an order for contact with your child if your child is in care – being looked after by the council.

The guide assumes that you will be applying for a court order yourself, without the help of a lawyer.