Residency and contact
In disputes over where a child will live, the Court will generally favour a solution offering permanence and stability which is in the child's best interest.The Court will be assisted by a report from a Child and Family Reporter (CFR) - independent of both parents - who will visit the children at the homes of both parents, have separate meetings with both parents, and make enquiries of schools, the local social services and other agencies as appropriate.
Where it deems it appropriate the Court will then make an order relating to where the child or children will live. When necessary the Court also has the power to prohibit the removal of a child or children from one person's care and/or their removal from England and Wales.
Contact is the right of the child to see its non resident parent and sometimes grandparents.
It is often more common for disagreement to arise over contact than over questions of residence. The Court will not make any order unless it is satisfied that this would be better for the child than not making an order.
The Court believes that it is the right of the child to have a relationship with both parents, and its role is to help finalise arrangements that further this aim. Contact is not a matter of reward or punishment for one or other parent.
