What can I do if I think my partner will change my child’s surname or move abroad?

You will need to apply to the court for a prohibited steps order. A prohibited steps order prevents the other parent from doing something without the consent of the other party or the Court: For example you would apply for this order to prevent the following:

• prevent a change of surname
• removal from jurisdiction
• to prevent you or the father from enrolling a child at school
• or from preventing a child receiving medical treatment

We’ve not seen our grandchildren since their parents divorced. Can we apply to see them?

As grandparents, you do not receive automatic rights to see your grandchildren. However, you can “seek the leave of court” to apply for the right to have contact with them. Our experienced family lawyers will be happy to explain the process to you.

Our children may be taken into care. What can we do?

Every case is different, so it is easiest if we talk to you about your situation. We can help you contact the local authority to understand their concerns and explain the situation to you and the options you have. In less serious cases, we can help you to talk to the local authority to set up a working agreement so your children can stay at home.

an we get our children back out of care?

Our advice will depend on your situation. We will start by finding out the reason for their care order and how serious the local authority believes your case to be. We can then advise you whether it will be possible to contest the care order (which may lead to the children being returned to you) or whether it is likely that a placement order will be given for them to be fostered or adopted.