I am in family proceedings for another reason

There are lots of different reasons why children become involved with the family court. You can read about the main reasons on the following webpages:

• My parents live apart and can’t agree arrangements for me
• I am (or may be) looked after by a local authority 
• I am going to be adopted or live with a special guardian 

Some of the other reasons for children becoming involved with the family court might be because a child is born with the help of someone who is not involved with raising them (this could be a ‘surrogate’ or a ‘donor’) – meaning there are important legal things for the grown-ups to sort out. This type of court case will usually happen when the child is very small or still a baby.

A small number of children might be made a ‘ward of the court’. This means that the grown-ups looking after the child need the agreement of a judge to make certain decisions about that child. For example, the court might be worried about a child being taken to a dangerous country. The parent or carers looking after that child will need the agreement of a judge before making any arrangements to travel or go on holiday with the child. These types of child cases cannot be dealt with in regular family courts and are usually dealt with by what is called the ‘Family Division of the High Court'.

The Family Division of the High Court helps children with lots of other complicated issues. The judges who work in the High Court are usually based at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, a very grand building that you may have seen on TV. Cafcass has a special team of Family Court Advisers who help some of the children involved with the High Court.

Whatever the reason for you becoming involved with the court, the judge making the decisions will think very carefully about your welfare and will often want to know your wishes and feelings.

If you are worried or anxious about being involved with the court then you can speak with your Family Court Adviser, Guardian or another grown up that you trust. Please also visit our webpage for you if you are worried and need help. It contains a list of help and resources for children and young people