Planning 2022 Holidays - ensuring Child Arrangements are in place

 

With Christmas a distance memory, many people in January are focusing and booking holidays whether it be abroad or in the UK, and will want to pin down dates for when they are able to do this.

For separated parents finding agreement is not always an easy task. Not only do you need to consider when you can book holidays, you also need to consider when the children will be with you, when they can take time off school or college, and to make arrangements around the other parent's needs and wishes, especially if either parent has a demanding job or new partner with conflicting dates.

It is important before booking holidays to make sure that the dates you want are agreed with the other parent, in a situation where you may book a holiday but the dates are not agreed (you simply can't agree or the dates needed are not possible), you may find yourself having to make an application to the Court for a Child Arrangements Order specifically to deal with this issue.  If this is not done in plenty of time, there is a risk that the necessary Orders will not be made prior to the holiday.

So what advice can we give you?

1. Have discussions with the other parent early on.

2. Do not book a holiday until you are sure that arrangements are agreed.

3. Talk about the arrangements around the holiday, how will handover take place? How will passports be handed over? How will paperwork be completed if necessary? Are Covid passports required/in place? What holiday clothes are needed and what can they bring with them? These are just some examples but it is important to iron-out these issues to ensure there are no problems nearer the time.

4. Who and how will passports be applied for if the children do not already have them? Who is going to pay for this?

If you cannot reach an agreement contact a solicitor or make a referral to mediation. Trying to have these discussions between yourself and the other parent may be strained, and you may find that either mediation or some input from a solicitor may help you reach an agreement more easily and this can be drawn up into an agreement for you both to sign if necessary.

If an agreement cannot be reached and if mediation fails then make an application to the Court as soon as you are aware of this. It is important not to delay because Court proceedings can take some time, particularly if the Court needs to have a Final Hearing to consider both parties positions.

If you are at all unsure about your rights or how to take the first steps in making arrangements for holiday with your children then you can Contact Us here.

 

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