F Barnes are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority No’s 46609 and 46610

Making decisions regarding the welfare of your children is especially difficult when you are separated from the other parent or the other person(s) caring for the children. Often parents/carers will not be able to agree a way forward, and this can result in hostility.

The Family department at F. Barnes specialise in Children. Our team consists of solicitors with a wealth of experience in all manner of child-related proceedings. Our main aim is to try and reach an agreement without the need of issuing court proceedings; however, this is unfortunately not always possible. If the matter needs to proceed to court, our clients can take comfort in knowing that we are well known at the local county court as members of the department regularly represent clients personally; this is not something many other firms do.

We regularly assist parents, grandparents and others in disputes regarding the following:

Private Children Law (Against Individuals or Family Members)

 Residence and shared residence (custody)

 Contact (access)

 Parental responsibility

 Prohibited Steps Orders (preventing another person from taking a child)

 Specific Issue Orders (relates to particular problems: i.e. changing/selecting schools, consenting/opposing medical treatment, children’s surnames, moving abroad, etc.)

 Special Guardianship Orders

 Wardship and Inherent Jurisdiction

Public Children Law (Involving Local Authorities and Social Workers)

 Care/placement (adoption) proceedings

 Child protection issues and Legal Planning Meetings

 Contact with children in care

Our team has dealt with all manners of hearing types (e.g. first appointments, conciliation, directions, fact findings, interim contested hearings, final hearings, and appeals). In some cases, time is of the essence and we need to act urgently. In such cases we are able to issue proceedings and be at court within a few hours.

Children

Our Children Law specialists

Katerina Mavroudis

Gemma Hodder