Care Arrangements and Child Contact at Christmas
Christmas, like many other important holidays that are marked by families, can be a wonderful time, but can also be difficult if parents are separated. This can particularly be the case when there is not a clear agreement or arrangement in place for the time that each parent, and in turn the wider family, is spending with the child or children of the former relationship.
If Christmas hasn’t gone the way you had hoped, or you haven’t been able to reach agreement with your ex-partner in time for Christmas and other important celebrations in 2022, this could be something that you wish to make a priority as we go into 2023. It’s important that children have stability but it’s also important that parents know where they stand too.
How should contact at Christmas with your children operate?
There is no set pattern for contact in any situation, whether week to week or at special occasions, and what works for one family may not work for another. Any arrangements that are put in place should take account of what is best for the child or children and their wishes where appropriate. It should also be realistic, in that the parents need to be able to uptake and attend for the arrangements made. Some employers are more flexible than others and work and school schedules need to be taken into account too.
How can we help you with contact at Christmas and generally for your children?
One way we can help you with this is negotiating on your behalf to enter into a written agreement that regulates the care arrangements for your children, day to day, as well as at special occasions.
There’s other ways that this can be achieved too – via mediation, via meetings, or if things can’t be agreed, via court action. We would always try to avoid court action wherever possible for you but we also realise that in some cases there is no other option.
How can you get in touch with us?
If you wish to discuss your own situation, and the time you spend with your children, including your parental rights and responsibilities, and how we can help you, then please contact our Danielle Stevenson by email: info@caritaslegal.co.uk, phone: 01383 431 101 or using the contact form here.
