Information for teenagers
Sometimes families experience problems. Your parents or
carers might be splitting up, or they might be finding it
difficult to look after you properly. Families can usually
sort out these problems, but sometimes they can't. Specially
trained people such as solicitors, judges, magistrates or social
workers may need to get involved in sorting out the situation.
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Family
Courts
That's when a family court can help with big decisions, like who
you should live with and who you should see. The aim is for
everyone to agree, but if that's not possible, a judge or
magistrate will look at all the facts and help make the best
decision possible.
Cafcass
The court will ask a person from
Cafcass to speak to you. People who work for
Cafcass are called either Children and
Family Reporters or Children's
Guardians.
Here we let you know what to expect
when there is a case involving your family at the family court. We
also tell you about how Cafcass works with
families involved in family court proceedings.
First of all, click on the
topic below which best describes your situation:
My parents or carers are splitting
up and can't agree on where I should live
My parents or carers can't agree
about how much time I should spend with each of them, or with other
people in my family
I'd like to find out more about
adoption
I'd like to
find out more about Care Orders, Supervision Orders and court
proceedings involving Social Services