Family: Agreeing child arrangements for the term ahead

When routines change, do your child arrangements still work?

The start of a new school term often brings a return to routine. School runs begin again, clubs restart and working patterns settle after the summer. For separated parents, it can also be the point at which arrangements that worked a few months ago start to feel less practical.

Perhaps a child has moved schools. Their timetable or after-school activities may have changed. One parent’s working arrangements might be different, or an arrangement that suited a younger child may simply no longer fit as they get older.

Whatever has changed, reviewing arrangements does not necessarily mean going back to court or starting from scratch.

Start with what works for your children

Where possible, the starting point should be the practical reality of your child’s life now.

That might mean looking again at where they spend school nights, how handovers work, arrangements for weekends and holidays, or how both parents manage school events and extracurricular activities.

What matters is finding an arrangement that works for the children and gives everyone enough clarity to plan around it.

It is also worth remembering that arrangements do not have to remain fixed simply because they have worked in the past. Children grow, families change and arrangements can change with them.

What if we cannot agree?

Sometimes parents can make adjustments between themselves. In other situations, having some independent support can make the conversation much easier.

Mediation gives parents a structured setting in which to discuss arrangements with the help of an impartial mediator. Rather than asking a court to decide what should happen, it allows parents to work towards their own agreement while keeping their children's needs at the centre of the discussion.

At Laurus, we have considerable strength in family mediation and other forms of out of court dispute resolution. Our family team can help you understand the different options available and which approach is likely to work best for your circumstances.

Where an agreement cannot be reached, we can also advise on the court process and any existing Child Arrangements Order.

A new term can be a useful moment to review things

You do not need to wait until an arrangement has become unworkable before talking about it.

If the return to school has highlighted something that could work better, addressing it early can help avoid a relatively small practical issue developing into a larger disagreement.

If you would like to discuss child arrangements, mediation or the options available to your family, contact our Family team on 020 3146 6300 or email enquiries@lauruslaw.co.uk.