Where the parents or those with parental responsibility for the children are able to agree arrangments as to where the children will live, whom they will have contact with and when, which school they attend, etc, the Court will not seek to interfere with these arrangments.

However the Court can make any one of the following Orders where those adults responsible for the children cannot reach agreement between them.

Most commonly these will be:

• A Residence Order which states with whom the children will live
• A Contact Order which sets out who the children will have contact with and where and when that will take place.
• A Parental Responsibility Order may be made to confer the rights and responsibilities of a parent onto a person appropriately connected to the children.

In addition the Court can make an Order regarding the child's surname, or whether the child can be taken to live in another country.

The Court can also make Orders that the local authority assume care of a child at risk, make special guardianship orders or adoption orders where appropriate.

Please note that the information given in these pages is subject to change with legislation and caselaw and is intended as general guidance only, and does not purport to constitute legal advice.  You should consult a solicitor or suitably qualified practitioner to provide you with specific legal advice based upon your particular circumstances.