Following the breakdown of a relationship, agreeing the arrangements for the children can sometimes prove difficult as emotions run high. This can be further complicated if there are additional problems such as child protection issues involved. At times such as these, sympathetic but expert advice is extremely important to ensure the arrangements for the children are satisfactory, safe and in their best interests.  

Some of the problems that may arise can concern issues such as where the child should live, what contact there should be between the child and the non-resident parent, whether someone should have parental responsibility for a child and if there are any child protection issues such as child abduction/child care proceedings to consider.

There are many different types of orders that can be obtained from the Court that can be tailored to the particular circumstances in the event of a dispute.

A mediation service is also available which is an independent third party who will mediate between parties to try to resolve the issues between them in a conciliatory manner.