Expert guide
Children - The range of court orders
The Children Act 1989 governs the law relating to children. Proceedings brought by individuals are called private law proceedings and those brought by a local authority social services department are called public law proceedings. In this legal advice guide we focus on private law proceedings and the types of orders the Court can make. The Court is not able to make an order for a child who has reached the age of 16, unless the Court is satisfied that the circumstances of the case are exceptional.