Children and the family courts - Children Act 1989

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This guidance is also available in pdf format.

Who this guidance is for

This guidance is for anyone who thinks that a court should make a decision about a child. In this guidance 'child' usually means someone who is under 18. The courts make most decisions about children using a law known as the Children Act 1989.

Those decisions may be about:

• where the child will live
• who the child will see
• who is responsible for the child
• financial support for the child.

Remember that this guidance only deals with some decisions which courts may make under the Children Act 1989, and that it is a guide, not a statement of the law.

The guidance will tell you:

• how to ask a court to make a decision, and help you decide whether to continue on your own, or go to a solicitor.

But this guidance will not help you to decide:

• what to ask a court to do, or whether going to a court is the best way of helping the child.

You must decide what to do but you can get information and advice from many people and places.