Children

If you are divorcing and you have children, you may struggle to agree on parenting issues, including where they will live and spend their time, as well as distinct issues such as travelling overseas, decisions about medical procedures and disputes about schooling.

Our Family Law Team understands how difficult it can be to put new arrangements in place upon separation. We can work sensitively with you to help you negotiate with your child or children’s other parent and find a solution that you can both agree on.

We represent a range of clients in respect of arrangements for children, including high-net-worth individuals, overseas clients and families in complex situations. We offer services in several languages, including German, Urdu, Gujarati, Tamil and Hindi.

Services

• Advice and representation in making arrangements for children
• Applications to the court for a child arrangements order
• Child abduction
• Cross-border child disputes
• Drafting and sealing a consent order if you are able to agree on arrangements for your children
• Other alternative dispute resolution options
• Prohibited steps orders
• Referral to mediation and advice throughout the mediation process
• Relocating, whether in England and Wales or overseas
• Specific issue orders

Mediation

Hour Family Law Team are fierce negotiators and wherever possible we will help you to resolve matters without the need for court involvement. This is a faster way of concluding issues as well as being more cost-effective.

Where necessary, we can refer you and your child’s other parent to mediation. The courts usually require mediation to be considered before they will hear a case. Mediation is a chance to work with a neutral mediator to try and find an agreement on issues in dispute.

Unlike court, you will not have an outcome imposed on you and anything you decide will be agreed upon by you both.

Child arrangements orders

The courts will take a number of issues into account, including:

• Any risk of harm that may exist
• How any changes might impact the child
• The ability of each parent to meet the child’s needs
• The child’s wishes and feelings, in light of their age and understanding
• Their emotional, physical and educational needs

Matters that could be dealt with in the child arrangements order include:

• How much time the child will spend with their other parent
• How the child will stay in touch with each parent when they are not together
• Where a child will go to school
• Where there is parental conflict, how the parents should best effectively communicate with one another
• Who else the child will see
• Who will have the main day-to-day care of the child