Children
When any relationship breaks down it can be extremely upsetting for both parents involved but often it is the children who suffer the most. The divorce or separation of his or her parents is possibly the most traumatic experience that your child will have to go through. The life that he or she has known is about to change forever and this could lead to feelings of confusion, sadness, loneliness, anxiety and even anger.
Agreeing the arrangements for the children has to be your overriding priority. It is best if you as parents are able to agree issues directly between yourselves. However the Attwaters family team recognise that this is not always possible, especially when emotions are high. At such an emotional time it is important that you seek legal advice from a specialist family lawyer in whom you trust and have confidence. Our family team has members of the Law Society Family Law Accreditation Scheme and the Law Society Children Panel Accreditation Scheme and accredited specialists of Resolution in Children Law and advocacy.
Our team of family lawyers can advise and assist you on all issues relating to your children following the breakdown of your relationship. This may include helping you and your ex-partner coming to an agreement as to where the children will live and how much time they will spend with each of you. You may need some help in obtaining regular and quality contact with your child. You may not know how much contact to expect or offer or what to do if your contact is denied. You may not be able to agree where your child will go to school or whether they should have any specific medical treatment. It may well be that your ex-partner is threatening to leave the Country with your child or change your child’s surname. There may also be issues surrounding financial provision for the children including maintenance, school fees or a home through their dependency. If your child was born before December 2003 and you were not married to his or her mother you may not have parental responsibility and you will have to acquire it.
In most cases, with the benefit of trusted legal advice, parents are able to agree on the arrangements for their children without the need for any legal proceedings. However if proceedings are necessary then Attwaters family team can help you through them by focusing on what is in your child’s best interest and welfare.
There are various Orders that a Court can make including:-
Residence Order (formerly known as Custody),
Contact Order (formerly known as Access),
Parental Responsibility Order,
Prohibited Steps Order preventing a specific course of action without the consent of the Court
Specific Issue Order which allows the Court to deal with an individual issue such as where your child should go to school.
Special Guardianship Order
Financial provision and maintenance for your child.
Please feel free to telephone any one of our family team to discuss matters in confidence. We can arrange for an initial consultation so you can understand the options available to you.
Contact:
Joyti HenchieDD 01279 638809 Email
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