Alternatives To Court

You should try to sort out the arrangements for your children by agreement because going to court is always stressful and upsetting.

You can agree things between you at any time, even after you have applied for a child arrangements order.

It really is worth trying to do this to avoid the uncertainty and expense of going to court.

You can agree a parenting plan between you. This should be a written plan which would set out your agreed decisions about the everyday practical issues to do with caring for your children including how you are going to communicate about the children, living arrangements, money, education, holiday arrangements, religion and healthcare.

If you can’t agree to do this together, you could get a qualified mediator to help – you can find a list of local mediators here. They will charge for their services but, if you can agree, this may well be cheaper than going to court.