Child Arrangement Live With Order

[CFJ222]

I am just about to go through court proceedings again.

Previously a full care order has been in place.

There was initially suggesting reducing to a supervission order but now the plan for a 6 month CIN been agreed by all parties.

After this period the guardian is recomending that a Child Arrangement Live With order in favour of the monther.

I have done some research into this but do not seem to get answers i am seeking.

I am not against my child(ren) to reside with the mother. My concern are:
What happens to this order if something was to happen to the mother?
Would i have to apply to court to remove this in the above situation?
Do i lose my parental rights or at least limits them if i accept this?
If mother decided to live in another country would i then be powerless to stop this?
What are the other disadvantages that this perhaps could become an issue that i have not thought about?

Is there anoter option that can be done without this order that allows me to agree that the mother is the primary carer and that the child(ren) live with her but that also doesnt reduce my parental rights

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear CFJ222

Thank you for your post and your questions. I am sorry for the delay in answering them.

If you have parental responsibility (PR) for your children you will not lose your PR when a ‘lives with’ Child Arrangements Order is granted by a court. If something happens to a person who has PR the other person(s) should be informed and/or contacted.

When someone has a Child Arrangements Order they cannot take the children to live in another country without the consent of everyone else with PR. What the law says (in short and paraphrased) is that a child cannot be removed from the United Kingdom without the written consent of every person with PR or with the permission from a court. However, a person with a Child Arrangements Order may take the child (on holiday, for example) for a period of less than one month. In this link you will find this.

My only other suggestion to you is that if the order is made you ensure that your contact (face to face, on the phone or other media) is agreed and documented and is ‘sufficient’ to the children’s needs and yours. If overnight, weekend or school holidays contact is not in place you may want to ensure that this is discussed (or considered) too.

Best wishes

Suzie