Exerts provided by: www.stonewall.org.uk/documents/parenting__coparenting.pdf

In the unfortunate situation you cannot agree something in relation to the care of your child, either parent can make an application to the court for:

- A residence order, to determine who should have main care of your child,

- A contact order, to determine the access that the other parents have to your child, or

- A specific issue or prohibited steps order, if you need the court to resolve a particular issue or to stop a particular action being taken by one of your child’s parents.

The relevant court application can be made by any of your child’s four parents against any of the others. The birth mother and biological father have an automatic right to apply to court. In certain circumstances and if they do not have parental responsibility for your child, the non-birth mother and non-biological father may need to first ask the court’s permission before making an application.

The court will decide what is in your child’s best interests. If you have a co-parenting agreement, it is one of the factors the court will take into account.