Coronavirus (COVID-19): Child Arrangements | Family Law

Life has changed for all of us – the current situation could never have been envisaged even 10 days ago.  The Coronavirus pandemic has affected all areas of our life.

With schools closed and now a lock-down, parents need to communicate and work together responsibly and act in the best interests of their children.  This applies to spending time with the other parent, over-seeing school-work and following government advice.

Current government advice is that shared care and contact arrangements remain in place for children under 18 during this period of lock-down. Where possible, hand-overs should be kept to a minimum. Court orders remain in force and if breached, there are consequences.

Where a child or parent has tested positive for the virus, they should self-isolate for 14 days in accordance with government advice. There are other ways of keeping in touch such as phone, face-time, zoom and skype to ensure that contact is ongoing.  If a child has missed out spending time with one parent, additional time may be agreed when the situation returns to normal.

If child arrangements cannot be agreed, the courts are open and are adapting to dealing with hearings remotely by telephone and skype. 

Our family law department at Thursfields remains open and we are able to answer your queries by telephone, email or skype.  Please contact us on 0345 20 73 72 8 or info@thursfields.co.uk