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Child Law Solicitors in Caernarfon, North Wales
Fixed Fee Legal Aid Available
When you separate or divorce, it is a distressing and emotional time. If you have a child, this can be even more stressful and can regretfully lead to a ‘tug of war’ for the emotions of your child.
Based in Caernarfon and serving the North Wales area, we are expert child law solicitors, aiming to ease this stressful time as much as possible.
Children Law & Child Custody
If your relationship has broken down it can be an emotional and upsetting time for everyone within the family, especially when there are children involved.
Your children are especially vulnerable as the stability in their young life has been disturbed and it is important that you as parents come to an agreement over child custody and contact arrangements as soon and as amicably as you can.
However, because of the emotional nature of your break up it can become acrimonious and this can have an unseen effect on your children. If you simply cannot agree on what arrangements to put in place for your children or what you have agreed has broken down, then you can use a trained mediator to help you prioritise what is best for your children.
Disputes involving children are common when parents are going through a divorce, separating or when disagreements between family members arise. The needs of those children can sometimes become lost as they become part of what is happening between the adults. Unfortunately research shows that children do suffer in the breakdown of adult relationships, although they can and do recover and grow to be healthy and well adjusted.
Examples of common disputes
Examples of common disputes concern where children should live and with whom, or children not being returned home or being removed from a parents’ care, or the arrangements for children to see their parent or family members and who they can be brought into contact with. Sadly there are a wide variety of day to day decisions concerning children which can result in disagreement between adults.
Contact our experienced Child Law solicitors to find out how we can help.
Legal Aid Funding Available
Family Court Orders
The Family court can make orders about who a child shall live with and contact arrangements with the non-resident parent.
The Court will make its decision based on what is considered the best interests of the child with its welfare being of paramount consideration.
The Court starts by saying it’s in the child’s best interests to know both of its parents so if you are being denied contact by the other parent be assured the court will normally order contact to take place.
However, the court may take into account factors such as domestic violence when making an order and will consider anything that would put a child at risk of harm.
Child Arrangement Orders
At Winrow Solicitors, we understand that family matters can be complex and emotionally charged. Our experienced family law attorneys are here to provide you with clarity and guidance on Child Arrangement Orders (CAOs) in the United Kingdom.
What Is a Child Arrangements Order (CAO)?
A Child Arrangement Order is a legally binding document issued by a court to determine the living arrangements, contact, and other aspects of a child’s upbringing when parents or guardians cannot reach an agreement independently. These orders were introduced under the Children and Families Act 2014, replacing the previous terminology of “residence orders” and “contact orders.”
Key Components of a CAO:
- Residence: A CAO may specify where the child will primarily reside. This can be with one parent or involve shared residence with both parents, depending on the child’s best interests.
- Contact: It outlines the time the child will spend with the non-residential parent or other family members, such as grandparents.
- Specific Issue Orders: These address specific questions or concerns related to the child’s upbringing, such as education, healthcare, or religion.
- Prohibited Steps Orders: These prevent certain actions, such as taking the child out of the country without consent.
Putting the Child’s Best Interests First
The court’s paramount consideration when issuing a CAO is the welfare and best interests of the child. Factors considered include the child’s age, wishes, feelings, and any potential risks to their well-being.
Seeking Resolution
Before pursuing a Child Arrangement Order, it is advisable to explore alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation. Our team can assist you in navigating this process and, when necessary, guide you through the court application process.
Our dedicated family law solicitors have a proven track record of successfully handling child arrangement matters. We provide compassionate, expert guidance to protect your child’s well-being while ensuring your rights as a parent or guardian are upheld.
When it comes to Child Arrangement Orders, trust Winrow Solicitors to advocate for your child’s best interests and provide you with specialist legal advice every step of the way.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward securing your child’s future.
Book a free consultation
Specific Issue Order
The Court can also make what is called a ‘specific issue order’ when parents cannot agree for example:
- A decision as to what school children go to.
- What religion they should follow.
Child maintenance
Child maintenance is a fundamental aspect of family law that focuses on securing financial support for children when their parents are separated or divorced. It ensures that both parents contribute fairly to the costs of raising their child, irrespective of their relationship status.
- Child Maintenance Service (CMS): The CMS is a government agency that helps calculate and collect child maintenance payments. We can guide you through the CMS process, ensuring accurate calculations and compliance with regulations.
- Private Arrangements: We assist clients in negotiating private child maintenance arrangements between parents, offering tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of your family.
- Enforcement: Our firm is well-versed in enforcing child maintenance orders when a non-residential parent fails to meet their financial obligations.
Putting Your Child’s Needs First
A Prohibited Steps Order
An example of this type of order may be preventing one parent from taking a child to live in another country.
If these are some of the problems you are experiencing then call us or contact us below for a free 30 minute consultation.
Funding Your Child Law Case
Court fees
To make an application to the Court for a Child Arrangement Order application there is a fee of £215, however if you are on certain benefits or on a low income you may be eligible for assistance with the fees and may have to pay nothing.
Legal Aid
Legal Aid for Family cases has been drastically cut but is still available for a small number of family cases.
If you are not eligible then you maybe deterred from using a solicitor because you are worried about our fees. We understand this and will do our very best to come to a fee arrangement that suits you and more importantly what you can afford.
Different options
We can charge you a fixed price for each piece of advice. We could advise you on your ‘rights’ and agree a ‘plan’ for you to follow to achieve your goals. If you decide to make an application to the Family Court, we could help you with the paperwork but not go on the court record as acting for you. You will receive all the court ‘paperwork’ but we could explain anything you don’t understand by you paying an agreed fee for that advice. We would follow up that advice by email and suggest any further action.
Under this arrangement you will be in control of the costs as you would receive as little or as much advice as you need.
- Court attendance. You may feel uncomfortable attending Court on your own, if so we can agree a fixed fee to attend with you. If further court appearances are necessary you may then feel confident to attend alone, either way again you need only pay for what you feel you need.
- Full support and representation. You may feel you want our support although the legal process – from court applications to full representation. We will be on the court record as your solicitor and will deal with all correspondence on your behalf. For this service we will ‘bill’ you our hourly rate every month so you can keep a check on your fees and can put a ‘cap’ on them so you don’t go over a certain amount.
Ring for free legal aid assessment
Contact our Child Law Solicitors for Bangor (Gwynedd), Anglesey, Conway & Caernarfon today
If you are looking for further child law advice contact us on 01286 872 779 to arrange a consultation with our family lawyers.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission statement is clear – we exist to:
Maintain the highest standards of quality, client care and professional expertise;
Be recognised as experts in our fields;
To provide every client, regardless of their background and financial resources, access to justice;
Contribute to our communities.
