Midlands region protocol: What the Family Courts expect from Parents

The court wants you to think about these things first:

As parents, you share responsibility for your children and have a duty to talk to each other and make every effort to agree about how you will bring them up
Even when you separate this duty continues
Try to agree the arrangements for your child. If talking to each other is difficult, ask for help. Trained mediators can help you talk to each other and find solutions, even when things are hard. The court staff can give you details
If you cannot agree you can ask the court to decide for you
The law says that the court must always put the welfare of your child first. What you want may not be the best thing for your child. The court has to put your child first, however hard that is for the adults.
Experience suggests that court-imposed orders work less well than agreements made between you as parents.