Children & Safeguarding

If children’s services make contact with you due to concerns about your children, then we have experience in dealing with these matters from the outset. This could include Public Law Outline (PLO) meetings or Child Protection conferences when the Local Authority have concerns about your children being at risk of harm.

Hay & Kilner have considerable experience in dealing with complex cases involving non-accidental injury, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, chronic neglect cases, allegations of female genital mutilation, forced marriage and where there are allegations of Fabricated Induced Illness.

If you find yourself in a situation where children services are seeking to remove a child or children from your care, it is crucial that you seek legal advice immediately. If children’s services issue Care proceedings you will be entitled to Legal Aid.

The Hay & Kilner team are here to support families in this situation and will do everything we can to ensure you get the best outcome for you and your child.

We advise all family members on a full range of issues relating to private children law. We understand that any issues concerning children and their wellbeing will cause stress and anxiety for all parties involved and you may need to make some challenging decisions.

Divorce and family disputes can be emotional for all family members involved, and especially for children. We understand that your children come first no matter what and it is important that parents come to an arrangement as quickly and as smoothly as possible.

If separated parents are unable to decide where the child or children should live and how much time they spend with the other parent, an application can be made to the Family Court for a Child Arrangements Order.

Some private children cases have an international element and we have experience in dealing with matters where there are allegations of removal from the jurisdiction. We also represent parents and extended family members in private law proceedings where there are serious allegations of parental alienation.

Hay & Kilner are committed to ensuring any dispute in relation to child arrangements is kept as amicable as possible, with a view to resolving disputes outside of the court arena via alternative dispute resolution.

Where it is necessary to do so we will robustly represent clients within proceedings and we are committed to obtaining a favourable outcome when at court.

A Child Arrangements Order can determine where your child lives, when they have contact with each parent and what type of contact can take place moving forward until the child reaches the age of 16.

This is a type of order that helps parents settle a dispute about a particular issue. For example where there is a lack of agreement about which school a child should attend, then the Court could be invited to make that decision.

This is a type of order that prohibits someone from exercising some elements of their parental responsibility. Such an order would prevent an individual from carrying out a certain activity in relation to the child or children, for example removing a child from school, changing their surname, or taking them outside the country.

If there is a crisis at home, you may feel it is necessary for a child to be looked after by someone else. This could be a close friend of a family member.

If this is needed for an extended period of time you may want to consider a Special Guardianship Order (SGO). We understand that this is not a decision to be made lightly and always keep have the best interests for the child in mind when giving advice.

If you need help or advice regarding SGOs we can talk it through with you and help with any assessment, application, or court proceedings.

If you have grandchildren, a relationship breakdown or divorce between their parents may also cause you stress and pain when you want to maintain contact.

As a grandparent in the UK, you only have limited rights so it is important that you seek legal advice as soon as you can so we can help you to apply for a Child Arrangement Order if possible in your circumstances.

Our team regularly represents clients who are victims of domestic abuse as well as those against whom allegations have been made. If you are a victim of domestic abuse, it is important to seek legal advice. We can advise you what options are available to you, including seeking protection from the court by way of a non-molestation order or occupation order.

You may have concerns about the costs involved in instructing solicitors to represent you to deal with children issues. Legal Aid is available in certain children cases and if you may be entitled to Legal Aid. Please contact Hay & Kilner so that we can undertake an assessment of your eligibility.