There are a number of orders that the court can make in respect of children. They are:

• Child Arrangement Order – this is an order which sets out the arrangement for a child. It replaces the old terminology of “contact” and “residence” with Child Arrangement Order, (spend time with) or Child Arrangement Order (live with). You may have heard other terminology used such as “access” and “custody”, these are in effect the same thing.
• Special Guardianship Order – a Special Guardianship Order defines not only whom a child should live with but who should be the main carer for a child and be able to exercise “super parental responsibility”. It secures a child’s legal permanence with its carers whilst enabling the carer to make the overall decisions in respect to the child’s welfare.