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Introduction to Pathfinder Courts The Pathfinder Court is an innovative procedure designed to address parental applications concerning child care arrangements. This initiative emerged from the “Assessing the Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Case” report, which highlighted the detrimental effects of adversarial court processes on both children and parents, especially … Read more

In August 2023, the Family Justice Council published a consultation on draft guidance on responding to allegations of alienating behaviour. The consultation added to the (constant) debates regarding the concept of parental alienation in the Family Court, albeit seeking to give it a different name and sought to offer some clarity as to how these … Read more

At Children in the Middle, we offer a unique approach as direct access barristers, streamlining the legal process for our clients. Unlike the traditional model requiring solicitor intermediaries, our direct access service allows you to instruct a specialist barrister directly, ensuring immediate access to expert legal advice. Under the conventional system, the client typically pays … Read more

Giving evidence in court can be a daunting and nerve-wracking experience. In child arrangement order cases parents sometimes have to provide oral evidence to the court. This means the parent is a witness. As a witness, you have a duty to answer all questions asked of you honestly and to the best of your recollection. … Read more

If you are applying to court regarding child arrangements or are already involved in proceedings, it is important to understand how the court reaches decisions about a child’s welfare. What is the Welfare Checklist? In any court case concerning parental disputes over children, the child’s welfare is the paramount consideration for judges. This means the … Read more

At Children in the Middle we aim to make the family court more accessible to parents by explaining legal terms. A legal term you may or may not have heard of is Part 25 application. The Family Procedure Rules are the procedural rules of the family court. Part 25 addresses how the court will use … Read more

If you are involved in court proceedings about your child there will be language used in the court room which is confusing. One of these phrases is Qualified Legal Representative or QLR. So what is this? These are new court rules and laws to stop perpetrators of domestic abuse from being able to cross examine … Read more

Are you involved in court proceedings about the care of your child? Has the Judge ordered or mentioned a section 37 report? What does this mean? The title Section 37 Report refers to section 37 of the Children Act 1989. A Judge will order a section 37 report if they believe it may be appropriate … Read more

You may have experienced domestic abuse in your relationship with the other parent of your children. As we explained in our last blog https://childreninthemiddle.co.uk/1245-2/ in court cases about the care of a child, the first issue the court looks at is domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is harmful to children of all ages, including very young … Read more

For you as a parent, the process of applying to the family court is probably completely unknown. Here at Children in the Middle we try to explain the family court’s processes so that you as a parent are better informed of what will happen. If you apply to the family court for an order about … Read more

If you are involved about in court proceedings about your child or children, you may have a received a section 7 report. These reports are usually prepared by Cafcass or social services. A question we are often asked is once I receive the report, what happens next? The usual process of the court is that … Read more

If you are involved in court proceedings about the care of your children, a section 7 report is a term you may hear. In our last blog we explained a section 7 report: What is a Section 7 Report? In your case, the Judge or Magistrates may consider making an order for a section 7 … Read more