Our Assistance Sectors
We can support and guide you in any of the following Family Law areas:
There are several Court Orders and Injunctions available which can apply to help you achieve a more secure future for you and your family.
To help you understand the options available, we have outlined seven of the most common Family Court Orders and Injunctions available in in England and Wales:
Non Molestation Orders
A Non Molestation Order is a type of Court Injunction. It can be used to prevent your partner or ex-partner from displaying violent or threatening behaviour towards you and your children. This includes intimidation, pestering and harassment.
If there is a risk of domestic violence and you fear for the safety of yourself and/or your children, a Non Molestation Order should be applied for without delay.
A Non-Molestation Order can be adapted to your individual circumstances to ensure that you are protected.
For example, a Non Molestation Order may stop a particular person:
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Being on the same road as your home or child’s school
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Contacting you
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Damaging your property
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Communicating with you other than through a third party.
Occupation Orders
An Occupation Order is a type of Court Injunction. It can be used to control who lives in the family home. It can also restrict a particular person from entering the area surrounding the family home.
Occupation Orders are often used alongside Non Molestation Orders. They help people who want to remain in the family home, but who are scared to do so because of the threat of domestic violence.
With an Occupation Order, you can prevent a violent ex-partner from being in the property or coming near it – even if he/she is on the Tenancy Agreement or the mortgage.
Maintenance Orders
A Maintenance Order is a Court Order that states how much Spousal Maintenance someone must pay their ex following divorce. This is different to Child Maintenance, which is dealt with separately.
The Court may order Spousal Maintenance is paid if one person earns significantly less than the other, and needs additional money to ensure their needs are taken care of.
Sometimes this happens where one person has given up work during the marriage in order to care for the children, meaning that when the relationship breaks down, he/she has very little money or career prospects of their own.
For example, a Maintenance Order can say:
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How much money should be paid and how frequently i.e. £1,000 per month
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When Spousal Maintenance payments should stop.
Child Arrangements Order
A Child Arrangements Order used to be known as a Residence Order. This Court Order sets out the living arrangements for a child or children, including which parent the child/children will live with for the majority of the time.
A Child Arrangements Order will be needed if it cannot be decided with whom a child should live. In these cases, the Court will make a decision based on what is in the child’s best interest. The parent with whom the child lives for most of the time is known as the ‘Resident Parent’, and he/she is responsible for making day-to-day decisions about the child’s upbringing.
For example, a Child Arrangements Order can deal with:
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Which parent the child will live with
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How much time the child will spend with the other parent (if any)
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When a child will spend time with the other parent
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Whether contact with the other parent should be supervise
Specific Issue Order
A Specific Issue Order is a type of Court Order that is used when people with Parental Responsibility for a child disagree on a particular matter, such as what a child’s surname should be after divorce.
As someone with Parental Responsibility, you are allowed to have a say on a child’s upbringing. If those with Parental Responsibility have opposing views on a certain subject, a Specific Issue Order can be applied for. The Court will then consider what is in the child’s best interests and make the decision about that particular issue on your behalf.
For example, a Specific Issue Order may deal with:
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How a child should be educated
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What medical treatment a child should receive
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A child’s religious upbringing
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Whether a child can be taken outside of England & Wales
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Changing a child’s name or surname.
Prohibited Steps Order
A Prohibited Steps Order is a type of Court Order that prevents someone from exercising their powers of Parental Responsibility, meaning they can’t do things like remove a child from the country.
People with Parental Responsibility have a right to make decisions about a child’s upbringing. But if others with Parental Responsibility disagree with another parent’s actions (or proposed actions) and want to stop it happening, a Prohibited Steps Order can be applied for. If successful, this will remove that individual’s right to act.
For example, a Prohibited Steps Order may:
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Prevent a parent from taking a child out of the country
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Prevent a parent from changing a child’s surname
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Prevent a parent from relocating with a child
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Prevent the child from receiving certain medical treatment.
Our Assistance Employment Sectors
We can help support you through Employment Disputes. Employment Tribunals permit the appointment of representative agents. Court Support and Legal Services may act as the agent of the client and take up the complaint on their behalf. This can include talking to the employer in order to try to reach an amicable settlement and writing letters on behalf of the client. Or if necessary, conducting an Employment Tribunal claim.
We can support and guide you in any of the following Employment dispute matters:
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Equality and Diversity
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Bullying and Harassment
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Discipline and Grievance
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Conflict Resolution
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Redundancy
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Unfair deductions from pay
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Whistle blowing
If you feel you have been unfairly treated at work book an initial consultation to see how we might assist you.
The information on this page is for general guidance only and should not be treated as a definitive guide or be regarded as legal advice. If you need more details or information about the matters referred to on these web page please seek independent formal legal advice. This information was correct at the time of going to press in September 2020.
The law in this area is subject to change, we cannot be held responsible if changes to the law outdated this publication. Links provided on our website are for your convenience. It does not imply reliability or endorsement by us, and we accept no liability in respect of the content.