At the final hearing, the Judge will decide about the contact and residency arrangements for the children.
The final hearing is usually a formality to make clear the final decisions about the court order that outlines the requirements for the arrangements for the children. If you are unhappy with the decision or if you feel something wasn’t right about the hearing, you should raise this with the court as soon as possible.
If you don’t feel that the order is safe you should inform the CAFCASS officer. CAFCASS have the power to challenge an order if they believe that it is unsafe.
Once the order is in place you should keep to the requirements of the order. If you do not comply with the order, then you may be held in contempt of court. This might mean that you have to go back to court for the Judge to decide what happens next. This is called enforcement.
If you have concerns that the children are at serious risk of harm either through emotional or physical abuse you should report this as a safeguarding concern to the Police and the local authority safeguarding team.
If you decide that you need to stop contact, then you should make an application to the court for a new order to be made.
