At Rowberry Morris, we understand the sensitivity required to handle child law matters. We always aim to prioritise the child’s needs and minimise the impact of stress and uncertainty that legal matters can have.
Our dedicated family team is recognised by the Legal 500 as a Leading Firm for our outstanding service, and we are here to listen and provide excellent, reassuring advice to all of our clients. We understand that all situations involving children must be handled carefully and sensitively, and hold a Children Law accreditation from The Law Society in recognition of our skills in child law matters.
Our firm has many experienced practitioners, and our entire family team is members of Resolution, the family-first society committed to resolving matters in a constructive and non-confrontational way.
The law relating to children covers a wide range of areas, and it can feel daunting to know where to ask for help. If you are unsure of your next steps, our child law solicitors will explain the options available to you in the initial fixed fee meeting. We can provide you with advice and assistance with all areas of child law, including:
- Care Proceedings (handled by a specialist care team)
- Child Arrangements Orders
- Child Maintenance (handled by a specialist finance team)
- Disclosure of Whereabouts
- Domestic Abuse
- Enforcement (Breaches of Court Orders)
- External Relocation (Removal of Children from England and Wales)
- Internal Relocation
- Living Arrangements on Divorce and Separation
- Parenting Agreements
- Parental Alienation
- Parental Responsibility
- Private Adoption
- Prohibited Steps Orders (to prevent something from happening)
- Special Guardianship
- Specific Issue Orders (to ensure that something happens)
Contact our child law solicitors in Reading, Richmond, Staines and Tadley
For help with child law matters, please contact our solicitors in Reading, Tadley, Staines, and Richmond, use our simple enquiry form, or send an email to info-reading@rowberrymorris.co.uk and one of our friendly team members will get back to you soon.
Our child law services
Child arrangements orders
A child arrangements order sets out how a child’s time is shared between their parents and guardians after a divorce or separation. It is designed to promote the child’s best interests and offer structure and clarity to the family.
Our children law solicitors can help couples going through a divorce or separation establish a child’s living arrangements through a written agreement, parenting agreement or child arrangements order. Whether you are looking to establish how much time your child will spend with you or your former spouse, where your child will live, or how to organise a routine or holiday, our solicitors can assist you.
Parental responsibility
Parental responsibility is the legal rights and duties that empower a parent to make crucial decisions for their child, such as regarding their education, medical care, and religion. In the UK, mothers have automatic parental rights, as do fathers who are the mother’s husband or on the birth certificate. Otherwise, a father may need to acquire it separately.
A child law solicitor can help you to understand whether you have parental responsibility, what that means, and how you can secure it if necessary. We also assist in resolving disputes over a child’s upbringing, minimising stress wherever possible and ensuring you have the right to act in their best interest.
Specific issue orders
A specific issue order allows the Family Court to make a decision regarding the child’s upbringing, which could include decisions over education, medical treatments, and travel abroad.
These orders are necessary when guardians or parents cannot reach an agreement over a specific issue. A solicitor can help you apply for a specific order and give you the best chance of matters being resolved in a way that suits you. We can prepare supporting evidence and represent you and your child in Court.
Child maintenance
Child maintenance is financial support intended to cover the day-to-day cost of raising a child. Typically, this will be provided by one spouse to another after they have separated and acts as a provision for the spouse who takes on the majority share of child raising.
Maintenance can usually be arranged through informal negotiation, and our solicitors can help you and your former spouse determine a suitable sum for your arrangement. We support paying and receiving parents with enforcement, challenging unfair arrangements, and negotiating on financial calculations.
Frequently asked questions about child law
What is child law and what areas does it cover?
Child law covers the legal protections, frameworks and rules that regard the welfare, rights, and interests of children. It is one of the more sensitive areas of law and encompasses a wide range of legal issues that affect children and their dynamics with guardians, parents, and public bodies.
How does child law protect children's rights?
Children law defines and defends the rights of children and their relationships to others, always prioritising the best interests of the child, no matter the legal complications in play. Our lawyers for children can use several key mechanisms to protect children’s rights, including but not limited to:
- Statutory law
- Safeguarding and obligation
- Human rights protections
- Court oversight, including family courts
In child law cases, solicitors and the system will take extra care to manage the right to legal representation alongside child advocates who can ensure that children’s voices are heard and emotional distress is kept to a minimum.
How long does it typically take to resolve a child law case with a solicitor?
The timeframe that it will take to resolve a child law case will depend on a range of factors, such as the complexity of the matter, how willing the involved parties are to communicate, the number of involved parties, and the type of case.
As a general rule, securing professional child law advice will shorten the length of time that you will need to resolve matters. Wherever possible, we will resolve matters outside of Court as usual, which minimises the time commitment to one to three months and keeps costs down.
Urgent matters such as emergency protection orders can sometimes be dealt with in days, while matters that escalate to Court proceedings can take months to years.
How much does a child law solicitor cost?
Rowberry Morris are lawyers for life, if you are apprehensive of working with a child lawyer due to the potential fees involved, we can talk to you about the financial commitments involved and how to use all the options available to you.
We offer a fixed-fee initial consultation where your child law solicitor will talk through any potential costs involved in the Court process, as well as your legal fees and any available funding sources.
Contact our child law solicitors in Reading, Richmond, Staines and Tadley
Put your trust in our capable hands and we can resolve your legal matters. Contact our child law solicitors in Reading, Tadley, Staines, and Richmond, use our simple enquiry form, or send an email to info-reading@rowberrymorris.co.uk and one of our friendly team members will get back to you soon.
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What Our Clients Say
“I found Stuart’s calm and reassuring approach to my matter very reassuring. I felt I was in safe hands. His work to finalise my divorce was handled in an efficient and speedy manner. I was kept informed at every step of the process and more complex issues were handled sensitively. Legal terminologies were clearly explained and I always felt fully in touch with the process and implications of what I was entering into were made clear. Eileen deserves recognition for her support and guidance throughout the process. I would have no hesitation in appointing Stuart to assist me again if the need ever arose.”
“Peter Reynolds was an excellent communicator and advised me at each stage of the process. I would highly recommend Peter to represent in family matters. When we attended court, he was a great support and really understood the situation and achieved the outcome we aimed for on the day.”
“Stuart was extremely professional, putting together an agreement in place for me. It was administered from start to finish very swiftly, and resolved an issue at a very difficult time.”
“I received an excellent service from Peter Reynolds, Rowberry Morris throughout my divorce and I felt every matter was handled with the upmost care and professionalism. I can highly recommend. I will most definitely be using the services of Rowberry Morris in the future should the need arise.”
“I’m grateful I found Rowberry Morris Solicitors. Peter Reynolds provided invaluable input on both a Child Arrangement Order and Financial Order. I give 5 stars based on the advice Peter provided and changes to orders he recommended. What also positively surprised me, is it felt that he really cares about my situation, and talking with him was like communicating with a very good and, at the same time, knowledgeable friend.”
“Stuart assisted me with a very complicated case concerning my children’s safety. I’m very grateful to say he secured a judgement that kept the children safe.
The case involved children’s services, the police public protection unit, analysis of a criminal conviction, and evidence from a probation officer and two forensic psychologists. We were 18 days in court and by the end the bundle was 2400 pages, all of which had been read, analyzed, and collated by Stuart.”
“Briliant firm. Responsive, great comms & a professional service end to end. All interactions with staff were met with a level of compassion & diligence.”
“I recently used RM and must say how impressed I was with them. Mr Reynolds was remarkable, helping me with a personal matter. He navigated the case through court with real skill and knowhow, I can’t thank him enough.”
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to my solicitor, Peter Reynolds, and his team, Elizabeth and Lorraine, for their exceptional support, professionalism, and friendly service throughout my divorce process, which lasted over three years. Peter’s advice and expertise were second to none, providing invaluable guidance and unwavering support, especially in the face of a sometimes very challenging approach from the other side.
I would not hesitate to recommend Rowberry Morris—particularly Peter and his team—to anyone in need of truly professional and compassionate legal counsel. Their guidance, direction, and understanding were invaluable in navigating one of life’s toughest moments.”