Children Act Proceedings

You will be required to make a referral to a Family Mediator who will contact the other party to see if they will agree to mediate over the issues. If they are not prepared to do so then the Mediator will provide you with a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) Certificate.
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You will then need to make an application for a Child Arrangements Order attaching the MIAM Certificate to your application. There is a fee payable of £215.
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Upon receipt of the papers the court will issue the proceedings and send a copy of the Application to the Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) to enable Safeguarding checks can be carried out.
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A safeguarding letter will then be served on each party and filed with the Court, and the matter will progress to a First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment, without the parties.
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Thereafter the Court will make directions as to how the case will progress and the parties will be advised when they are required to attend at a hearing.