Child Arrangements Order
An order under s.8 Children Act 1989 (replacing residence and contact orders) that regulates with whom a child is to live, spend time, or otherwise have contact, and when.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
GOV.UK guidance is explicit that this replaces the older, more familiar vocabulary: agreeing where children will live and how much time they'll spend with each parent 'is called making child arrangements (sometimes known as "child custody" or "child contact")' — the guidance steers separating parents toward agreeing this themselves wherever possible, including through a child arrangements plan or mediation.
Court is presented as the fallback once other routes have been tried: you can apply for a court order if you cannot agree after using a mediator or getting help, and if you decide to go to court you'll usually need to show you've tried mediation first. The guidance gives real, current figures for the cost of going down each route: a family mediation voucher worth up to £500 is available regardless of income, applying for a court order itself costs £270, and legal aid may be available to help pay for a legal adviser in court — for example where there is evidence of domestic abuse.
Related terms
Official sources
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