Legal terms

A

Adoption

A legally recognised process that creates a parent-child relationship between individuals who are not biologically related to each other.

Advocate

An advocate is someone who helps another person to express their views, wishes and feelings.

Assault

Assault is committed when a person intentionally or recklessly causes another to apprehend the immediate infliction of unlawful force.

B

Barrister

A lawyer representing you in the courts.

Battery

Battery is committed when a person intentionally and recklessly applies unlawful force to another.

C

CAFCASS

A CAFCASS Officer or Children and Family Reporter may be appointed by a court to provide assistance in the course of action most appropriate to your circumstances and to provide a welfare report to the court.

Child

A person under the age of 18 (although in some circumstances a child can be considered to be a competent adult.)

Child of the family

A child who has been treated as a child of the family.

Child protection

The actions and measures taken to protect a child from abuse or ill-treatment.

Child protection case conference

The child protection case conference is designed to enable professionals in the case to assess the relevant information and plan how to safeguard the child and promote his or her welfare.

Child protection register (CPR)

The child protection register is a confidential list of all children in the area who have been identified at a child protection conference as being at significant risk of harm.

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service

See: CAFCASS

Children and Family Reporter

An officer appointed by the court to provide assistance in the course of action most appropriate to your circumstances and to provide a welfare report to the court (see CAFCASS).

Children's Services

The body responsible for carrying out the child protection functions of the local authority, used to be known as social services

Committal (order)

Placing a parent in prison.

Contact

The time a non resident parent spends with their child.

Contact Centre

A Child Contact Centre is a safe environment where children of separated families can spend time with one or both parents and sometimes other family members.

Contact order

An order requiring the person with whom a child lives, or is to live, to allow the child to visit and stay with the person named in the order, or for that person and the child otherwise to have contact with each other.

Contempt of court

The offence of (1) disobeying a court order, (2) abusing a judge during a hearing, or (3) interfering in the administration of justice.

F

Family assistance order

An order to provide assistance to parents following separation or divorce. A family assistance order will make a probation officer available or will request a local authority to make one of its officers available in order to assist, advise and (where appropriate) befriend any person named in the order (Children Act 1989, s. 16(1).)

Family mediation

An alternative way to try to resolve a dispute. Parents would meet and talk through their issues in the presence of a third party.

G

Guardian

Person appointed to formally look after the interests of the child.

I

Interim contact

The temporary arrangements for contact.

L

Leave

Permission provided by the court for a person to make an application.

Legal Aid

Professional legal services available to people who are unable to afford such services.

Local authority

Overall administrative body for your geographic area.

Looked after children

Children in public care. Being provided with somewhere to live by social services. Parents can either agree or a court can order so.

M

Maintenance

The money paid by the non resident parent to support children when parents split.

N

Next friend

An adult who has an interest or connection to a child and will make an application to court on his or her behalf.

Non-molestation order

An order preventing a person from violent, pestering, harassing or threatening behaviour towards another person.

Non-resident parent

A parent with whom the child does not live with most of the time.

P

Parent

Mother and father whether married or unmarried.

Parental responsibility

All the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property. In general terms, this means the power to make important decisions in relation to a child.

Parental responsibility order

If a mother refuses to allow an unmarried father parental responsibility, he can make an application to court for a parental responsibility order.

Place of residence

The place where a child lives permanently.

Prohibited steps order

An order which prevents a parent from doing something concerning their child.

R

Residence order

An order stating where and with whom a child shall live.

Resident parent

A parent with whom the child lives with most of the time.

S

Section 8 Orders

Orders under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. These are: A residence order A contact order A specific issue order A prohibited steps order

Social Services

See: Children's Services

Solicitor

A lawyer who advises people and can represent you.

Specific issue order

An order to determine a particular issue that parents cannot agree on. The court will give direction for the purpose of determining a specific question which has arisen, or which may arise, in connection with any aspect of parental responsibility for a child.

Staying Contact

When the child stays over night with the non-resident parent.

Step-Parent

The person married to the child's parent.

Supervised contact

Contact that takes place between a parent and a child where another person is present.

W

Welfare checklist

Factors that a court will consider when deciding a case concerning the upbringing of a child, the courts will consider: -the wishes and feelings of the child, -the child's physical, emotional and educational needs, -the likely effect on the child of any change in circumstances, -the child's age, sex, background and any other of his or her characteristics which the court considers relevant, -any harm which the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering, -how capable each parent (and any other relevant person) is of meeting the child's needs.