Child Arrangement Orders
A Child Arrangement Order (CAO) is a court order made by the Family Court. It sets out:
- who a child will live with, and/or
- who the child will spend time with and when.
A Child Arrangement Order usually gives the person named in the order parental responsibility for the child. This is shared with the child’s parent or parents, which means important decisions about the child’s life should be made together.
The local authority is not usually involved in Child Arrangement Orders. However, in some circumstances, advice or limited support may be available.