Child care proceedings:
During divorce and separation, a comprehensive agreement on child custody will clarify:
-Where the children should live and with whom (residence)
-The arrangements for contact (access) between the children and the parent with whom they do not live
-Maintenance responsibilities (child support)
The council can start ‘care proceedings’ if they’re very worried about a child. They can apply for a ‘care order,’ which means that the council will have parental responsibility for your child and will be able to decide where they live. They can also seek a ‘placement order’ if they believe the child should be adopted. This enables the council to find suitable adoptive parents for the child.
At the start of care proceedings, the council asks the family court to make a temporary court order, called an ‘interim care order’. If the court agrees, the council can temporarily take care of the child. At first, this could last up to 8 weeks. A court can take up to 26 weeks to decide what should happen to the child. Some complex cases may require more time.
Our goal is to help parents reach an agreement on all of these issues, whether we are protecting fathers’ rights or mothers’ interests.
If we are unable to reach an agreement, we will seek a formal Court order. To schedule, an initial consultation feels free to contact our team of expert family law Solicitors.
SRA-regulated firm.