Children law solicitors in London

Osbornes Law is a London family law firm with a children law team ranked by Chambers UK and the Legal 500. We advise parents and families on every kind of dispute involving children, from where they live to care proceedings.

When a relationship ends, the decisions about your children can be the hardest you will make. Where will they live? How often will they see each parent? Who decides which school they go to? You may also be worried about a former partner moving away, or about social services becoming involved.

Our children law team works with parents, grandparents and other family members across London and beyond. We aim to help you reach an agreement that works for your children, through negotiation or mediation, because that is usually quicker, cheaper and less stressful for everyone. Where agreement is not possible, or your children are at risk, we will act quickly and put your case firmly to the court.

We handle private children cases between parents and family members, and public law cases where a local authority is involved. Many of our cases have an international side, such as a parent who wants to move abroad or a child taken overseas.

Child arrangements

A child arrangements order decides where a child lives and the time they spend with each parent. It replaced the old “residence” and “contact” orders, although many people still talk about “custody” and “access”.

Most parents agree arrangements without going to court. We can help you put a workable plan in place, whether that is shared care, a set pattern of weekends and holidays, or indirect contact by phone or video. If you cannot agree, we will advise you on applying to court and represent you throughout.

Read more about child arrangement orders and our work as child custody lawyers.

Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility means the legal rights and duties a parent has for a child. It covers decisions such as schooling, medical treatment, religion and the child’s name.

A mother always has parental responsibility. A father has it automatically if he was married to, or in a civil partnership with, the mother when the child was born. An unmarried father gets parental responsibility if:

• He is registered as the father on the birth certificate, for children whose births were registered from 1 December 2003.
• He and the mother sign a parental responsibility agreement.
• The court makes an order giving him parental responsibility.

Step-parents, grandparents and others can also get parental responsibility in some situations. Our guide to parental responsibility explains who has it and how to get it.

Disagreements over schools, medical treatment and names

Sometimes parents agree on where their child lives but disagree on one important decision. The court can settle a single question with a specific issue order. This might cover which school a child attends, whether they have a particular medical treatment, or whether they can travel abroad.

A prohibited steps order does the opposite. It stops a parent from taking a particular step without the court’s permission, such as moving the child to another country or changing their surname. These orders can be made urgently where a child is at risk of being removed. Our article on choosing a school after divorce gives an example of how these disputes work.

Moving with your children

If you want to move with your children, either within the UK or abroad, you will need the agreement of everyone with parental responsibility or the court’s permission. Relocation cases are some of the hardest the family court decides, because a move can change a child’s relationship with one parent for good.

We act for parents who want to move and for parents who oppose a move. We help you build a realistic plan covering schooling, housing and how the children will keep in touch with the other parent. Find out more about child relocation and international child relocation.

Taking your children on holiday abroad

You normally need the written consent of everyone with parental responsibility, or the court’s permission, to take a child out of the UK. There is one exception. If a child arrangements order names you as a person the child lives with, you can take the child abroad for less than one month without that consent.

Child abduction

Taking or keeping a child abroad without the right consent can be a criminal offence. If your child has been taken overseas, or you fear they are about to be, you need to act fast. We can apply for urgent court orders to stop a child being removed, and work to bring a child back to the UK under the Hague Convention and other international rules.

Our international children team has acted in many reported cases. Read more about our child abduction lawyers.

Child maintenance

Child maintenance is the regular money one parent pays towards a child’s everyday costs when the parents live apart. Many parents agree an amount between themselves. If you cannot agree, the Child Maintenance Service can work out the amount and, if needed, collect it. It charges both parents a fee when it collects and passes on payments.

The Child Maintenance Service does not deal with every situation. A court can order extra maintenance for school fees, for a child with a disability, or where the paying parent’s income is very high. Our child maintenance solicitors can advise on what applies to you.

Social services and care proceedings

If social services are worried about your child, you may be asked to a meeting, given a child protection plan, or told the local authority is starting care proceedings. This is frightening, and the decisions made early on can matter a great deal.

Parents and anyone else with parental responsibility can get legal aid in care proceedings whatever their income. We also advise grandparents and other relatives who want to care for a child, including through special guardianship orders. Read more about our child protection lawyers.

Adoption, fertility and surrogacy

We advise families created in every way. That includes step-parent and relative adoptions, international adoption, fertility treatment involving donors, and surrogacy arrangements in the UK and abroad. These cases often turn on who the law treats as a child’s parent, which is not always the person caring for them.

Find out more about adoption, fertility law, surrogacy and same-sex parenting.

Parenting plans and co-parenting

A parenting plan is a written agreement between parents about how they will bring up their children after separating. It can cover living arrangements, holidays, school, money and how you will talk to each other. It is not legally binding, but a clear plan often prevents disputes later on.

We can help you draft a plan, or turn an agreed plan into a court order if you want more certainty. Our guides to a shared parenting plan, co-parenting and parallel parenting have practical tips for making it work.

How does the court decide?

In any children case, the court’s main concern is your child’s welfare. The law sets out a “welfare checklist” the court must consider when a case is disputed. It includes:

• Your child’s wishes and feelings, in the light of their age and understanding.
• Their physical, emotional and educational needs.
• The likely effect on them of any change in their circumstances.
• Their age, sex, background and any other relevant characteristics.
• Any harm they have suffered or are at risk of suffering.
• How capable each parent, and anyone else involved, is of meeting their needs.

The court will only make an order if doing so is better for the child than making no order at all. The law currently presumes that the involvement of each parent will benefit the child, unless there is evidence it would put them at risk. The government plans to remove this presumption through the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which is going through Parliament.

What happens in a children case?

Before you apply to court, you will usually need to go to a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting, known as a MIAM. A mediator explains how mediation works and whether it suits your case. A MIAM usually costs around £120. The government mediation voucher scheme can pay up to £500 towards mediation itself, though not the MIAM. You do not need a MIAM in some cases, for example where there is evidence of domestic abuse or the application is urgent.

If mediation does not work, you apply to the court on form C100. The court fee is £270, and help with fees is available if you are on a low income. A Cafcass officer (an adviser to the court on children’s welfare) will carry out safety checks and send safeguarding advice to the court before the first hearing.

Some cases settle at the first hearing. Others need reports, further hearings and, in some cases, a final hearing where a judge decides. We will tell you at the start what to expect at each stage and what it is likely to cost.

The family courts are moving to a new “Child Focused Courts” approach, which gathers more information about a child at the start of a case. The government plans to bring it to London by the end of 2027. We will explain what this means for your case.

Why choose Osbornes Law?

Our children law team is ranked by Chambers UK and the Legal 500, and holds the Law Society’s Children Law accreditation. Chambers UK 2026 describes “an excellent children law department” that “keeps the focus on the bigger picture”. The Legal 500 says we are one of the few London firms offering a high level of expertise across the family law spectrum, “whether children or finances or public or private law”.

That breadth matters. If your case also involves a financial settlement, international issues or social services, our lawyers work together under one roof. We aim for agreement where it is in your children’s interests, and our team includes trained mediators. When a case has to go to court, we are known for preparing it thoroughly and arguing it firmly.

Speak to a children law solicitor today

If you need advice about your children, speak to one of our children law solicitors. Call us on 020 7485 8811 or fill in the contact form below and we will get back to you.