Holiday Planning

One of the jobs I force myself to do at the start of January is to go through my diary for the new year and make sure I’ve got all my important dates written down. For me this is often things like court hearings, deadlines to file statements, department meetings etc, but if I have a holiday coming up then I will make sure this is put in as well. I am sure I am not alone in doing this, but it does leave you strangely satisfied and organised for at least a few hours!

If you are a separated parent then naturally you will want to plan your year ahead in good time. Your plans don’t just affect you, but they also impact upon your children and your former partner. Many ducks often need lining up in a row.

Sadly sometimes where a separation has been particularly acrimonious it isn’t always easy planning holidays. One party could be naturally difficult and obstructive, for others it just doesn’t seem to work out.

In these situations there are fortunately a number of options that can help – mediation can be a great way of discussing and resolving any potential disagreements in a non confrontational manner. Alternatively a solicitor can help to try and negotiate some holiday time with the other party.

However where none of these options work then the last resort (and fortunately it really is a last resort) is to make an application to the Family Court for something called a Child Arrangements Order which can set out when holidays and day to day arrangements can take place.

Given that court proceedings typically take 4 – 6 months to conclude it is probably better to think about getting some advice sooner rather than later.

If you would like any more information on this please contact us on 0121 233 2042 or email me at william.ham@greenssolicitors.org