If you’ve just started child arrangements proceedings, it’s completely natural to worry that you might not see your children again until the final hearing. The short answer is: no, in most cases you don’t have to wait that long.
What usually happens before the final hearing?
Family court cases can take a long time to reach a final hearing. It’s not unusual for it to be about a year down the line, sometimes longer. The court knows that cutting a child off from one parent for that long is usually not helpful or healthy, so it doesn’t just press pause on contact and wait for the end of the case.
Early on, there’s usually a first hearing. By then, CAFCASS will normally have done some basic safety checks and may have spoken briefly to both parents. At that hearing, one of the main things the judge, magistrates or legal adviser looks at is what should happen in the meantime. In other words, when and how will the children see each parent while the case is still going on?
Interim contact while the case is ongoing
If there are no big safety concerns, the court will often make a temporary, or “interim”, arrangement. This might be something like alternate weekends, a midweek visit, overnight stays, or regular phone and video calls. It’s not meant to be the final schedule it’s just something to keep the relationship going and give the children some stability while any reports and assessments are being done.
If there are worries about things like domestic abuse, drug or alcohol use, or general safety, contact might still happen but in a more careful way. That could mean supervised contact, meeting in a contact centre, or shorter visits at first. The idea is usually to manage any risks, not to stop the relationship altogether unless it really isn’t safe.
Only in more serious situations, where the court thinks a child could be at real risk of harm, might contact be stopped completely for a while. Even then, it’s usually meant to be temporary, while the court gathers more information.
Can arrangements be agreed without waiting for a final decision?
It’s also worth remembering that not everything has to be decided by a judge. Many parents manage to agree some kind of interim contact themselves, either through solicitors, mediation, or discussions at court. Once agreed, the court can turn that into a temporary order.
So, while the final hearing is where the long-term arrangements are settled, it’s usually not the first time you get to see your children again. The court’s starting point is that, wherever it’s safe, children should have an ongoing relationship with both parents, even while the case is still rumbling on.
Get clear advice
To discuss your situation and get clear advice about interim contact arrangements, speak to a member of our Family team.
