Court orders for children

Family courts can make various orders for children. These are:

• Child arrangement order - This determines where a child will live and who they will have contact with
• Specific issue order - This determines a specific, important issue for a child. Such as education, medical treatment, religious upbringing.
• Prohibited steps order - This prevents a specified action involving a child. For example, a particular person may not remove the child from school.
• Special guardianship order - This gives a specific person/people parental responsibility for a child until they turn 18 years old.
• Family assistance order - This tells the local authority to befriend, assist and support a particular person
• Supervision order - This means that a local authority supervises the care of a child for a set period of time
• Care order - This gives a local authority overriding parental responsibility for a child
• Placement order - This means that a child can be placed with prospective adoptive parents
• Adoption order - This changes the legal parentage of a child

Who can request a court order?

Children's services

If children's services decide that the child cannot live with their birth parents, they must secure a long term living option for the child. 

Children's services will go to court to get a court order to secure the child's future stability.

Private individuals

Private individuals, such as foster carers, can also take a matter to court to get a court order. For example:

• Private foster carers, with the birth parents' consent, may get a court order to give them parental responsibility for the child
• Foster carers might want a court order that guarantees the child will remain in their care until age 18
• Parents in conflict might go to court for a child arrangements order to settle disputes

Apply for a court order on the GOV.UK website. 

Support with court orders 

Funded legal advice

If children's services have assessed you as a possible carer for the child, they may pay for you to get independent legal advice before a court appearance. This so that you understand the implications for yourself, the child and your family.

Children's guardian

An independent person will be at court to represent the child's best interests. This person is a children's guardian. They work for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). They may visit you during court proceedings.

Go to the CAFCASS website for more information about the court process and CAFCASS service.

Solicitors

All those involved will have solicitors at court to speak for them. This includes

• The children's guardian
• The child's birth parents
• Children's services
• You (possibly). Help to find a legal advisor. 

Sometimes not everyone agrees on what is in the child's best interests. All parties and their solicitors will try to reach agreement about what they think is best for the child before going before the judge.

The judge has the power to make any order, not only the option that has been requested.