Contact with your Child

It can be hugely distressing and difficult trying to negotiate with an ex-partner when also trying to deal with the breakdown of a relationship. If you have separated from your partner and have children in the relationship, and are struggling to agree upon arrangements for seeing your children or allowing your ex-partner to see your children, it can be extremely beneficial to seek legal advice. Here at St Pauls, our family barristers can help and advise you on your rights under the law.

The general rules that the court will apply are that the welfare of the child is paramount, meaning that their welfare comes first. Generally, the child should have a relationship with both of their parents.

Some things to consider that the Court will want to know:

• Who was their primary carer when you were together?
• What are their ages?
• Where do they currently live?
• Who do they live with at the moment?
• Where do they go to school/nursery?
• What is their routine?
• What relationship do you have with your children at the moment?
• What relationship have you had with them in the past?
• Are there any grandparents or wider family that it is important for your children to have a relationship with?
• Have social services ever been involved with your family?

Legal and Emotional Support in Arranging Contact With Your Child

We can guide you through the process and the court hearings to help you sort out contact with your children. We can advise you on how to achieve supervised contact and unsupervised contact.

It can be difficult to negotiate with the other side, but the advice provided by our family barristers is based on their lengthy experience of the courts in such matters. Often, our barristers can negotiate arrangements with the other side because of the ability to stand back and look at the case objectively, with the benefit of a huge amount of experience of similar cases.

If there are issues of domestic violence in the relationship and allegations that the court want to explore with a ‘finding of fact’ hearing, our skill and experience of family and criminal courts means that we are well able to cross-examine witnesses properly on your behalf.

One of the major problems can be working out practicalities of contact and we can help to bring a sense of perspective to your case. With the use of common sense, we can advice on the approach of the courts to the welfare of the children and the sorts of things that the court would expect of a parent.

Having a Barrister to speak for you in cases regarding contact with your child can often help to calm things down between you and your ex-partner. We can take on the stress of having to deal with the other side and we will advise you every step of the way.

Get in touch to see if you can assist with your case.