Free Child Arrangement Agreement Template

CHILD ARRANGEMENT AGREEMENT

Children Act 1989  ·  Children And Families Act 2014  ·  England And Wales

This Child Arrangement Agreement (this "Agreement") is made on 14 March 2026 between Daniel Cooper ("Parent 1") and Sarah Cooper ("Parent 2"), together "the parties". The parties have agreed the arrangements set out below for the child(ren) named herein, in the best interests of the child(ren). This Agreement uses the modern terminology of the Children Act 1989 ("lives with" / "spends time with") as introduced by section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014. This Agreement is not a court order under section 8 of the Children Act 1989; it is a voluntary written record of the parties' intentions. The parties may, if they wish, apply for a consent order approving these terms (Form C100) so that the arrangements are made binding by the Family Court.

The parties agree that the welfare of the child(ren) is the paramount consideration in any matter arising under this Agreement (Children Act 1989 s.1(1)). The parties undertake to have regard, in making decisions under this Agreement, to the welfare checklist in s.1(3) of the Act, namely: (a) the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child(ren) considered in light of age and understanding; (b) their physical, emotional and educational needs; (c) the likely effect on the child(ren) of any change of circumstances; (d) their age, sex, background and relevant characteristics; (e) any harm suffered or at risk of being suffered; (f) the capability of each parent in meeting the child(ren)'s needs; and (g) the range of powers available to the court. The parties accept the statutory presumption in s.1(2A) that continued involvement of each parent in the child(ren)'s life will further their welfare unless the contrary is shown.

This Agreement concerns Emily Cooper, date of birth: 5 June 2018.

Both parents share parental responsibility for the child(ren) under section 3 of the Children Act 1989. Neither parent may exercise parental responsibility in a manner incompatible with a court order, and both must consult the other on important decisions affecting the child (medical treatment beyond routine care, education, religious upbringing and change of name).

The child(ren) shall live primarily with Parent 1. The detailed contact schedule is as follows:

Emily lives with Parent 1 (Daniel Cooper) Monday to Friday during term time. Emily spends time with Parent 2 (Sarah Cooper) every other weekend from Saturday 10:00 to Sunday 18:00 and every Wednesday evening from 17:00 to 20:00.

Handover: Handover takes place at Emily's school on school days. During holidays, handover is at Parent 1's address with a 15-minute courtesy window either side of the agreed time.

This provision adopts the "lives with" / "spends time with" nomenclature introduced by section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014 in place of the former "residence" and "contact" language.

School holidays: School holidays are divided equally. Summer holidays: first half with Parent 1, second half with Parent 2, alternating annually. Easter and half-term holidays alternate each year.

Christmas: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Parent 1 in odd-numbered years, with Parent 2 in even-numbered years. Boxing Day reverses each year. Both parents to attend the school nativity where possible.

Birthdays and special occasions: Emily's birthday: spent with Parent 1 in odd years and Parent 2 in even years. Both parents are encouraged to attend school plays, sports days and parents' evenings.

Notice for holidays abroad: Either party wishing to take the child(ren) abroad shall give the other party at least four (4) weeks' advance written notice, with travel itinerary, accommodation, flights and emergency contacts.

Communication with the other parent: Each parent shall allow Emily to have daily phone or video contact with the other parent at an agreed time, normally between 19:00 and 20:00. Parents shall communicate about Emily via a shared messaging thread or a co-parenting app such as OurFamilyWizard.

A parent with a "lives with" provision in this Agreement may take the child out of the United Kingdom for a period of up to one month without the other parent's consent (Children Act 1989 s.13(2)), provided that the other parent is informed in advance in accordance with the notice period in this Agreement. Any longer period requires the written consent of every other person with parental responsibility or the leave of the court. Removal without required consent may constitute an offence under section 1 of the Child Abduction Act 1984 and engage the Hague Convention 1980.

Schooling: Emily currently attends Maple Junior School. Neither parent shall move Emily to a different school without the other's written consent. Both parents shall receive copies of all school reports and be invited to all parent meetings.

Healthcare: Emily's GP is Dr. R. Shah at Reading Medical Practice. Routine healthcare and emergency treatment can be consented to by the parent with whom Emily is at the time. Non-routine treatment (surgery, non-routine vaccinations, mental-health interventions) requires discussion between both parents in advance.

The child's surname shall not be changed save with the written consent of both parents (or all persons with parental responsibility) or by order of the court. This reflects the restriction in section 13(1) of the Children Act 1989 where a "lives with" order is in force.

The parties have agreed a private (family-based) child maintenance arrangement: Parent 2 shall pay to Parent 1 the sum of 450.00 GBP per calendar month by standing order, commencing on the date of this Agreement. The amount is calculated by reference to (and shall be kept under review against) the formula in the Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/2677). Either party retains the right to apply to the Child Maintenance Service at any time under the Child Support Act 1991.

Extra expenses: All extra expenses relating to the child(ren) (including school fees, school trips, uniforms and equipment, medical and dental costs not covered by the NHS, extracurricular activities, tutoring) shall be divided equally (50/50) between the parties.

The parties agree first to refer any dispute arising under this Agreement to family mediation. Before issuing most private-law applications concerning children, an applicant must attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) under section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014 and FPR 2010 PD 3A, save where a MIAM exemption applies (domestic abuse evidence, urgency, previous MIAM attendance).

Preferred mediator: Reading Family Mediation Service. The parties agree to attend a MIAM within 21 days of any unresolved dispute.

Authorised mediators are listed at www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk. MIAM exemptions are set out in FPR 2010 PD 3A.

The parties shall review this Agreement annually, or sooner on any significant change of circumstances.

This Agreement is a voluntary arrangement only and is not intended to be filed with the Family Court. The parties may, by mutual consent, apply for a consent order at a later date.

Both parents agree to refrain from introducing new partners to Emily during overnight stays until the relationship has lasted at least six months, and always with the knowledge of the other parent.

The parties acknowledge the Family Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2023 (SI 2023/1324), which (with effect from 29 April 2024) amended FPR Part 3 and Practice Direction 3A to broaden the definition of non-court dispute resolution ("NCDR") beyond mediation alone to include: (a) mediation; (b) arbitration; (c) evaluation by a neutral third party; and (d) collaborative law. The parties further acknowledge that:

(i) Form FM5. If proceedings are issued, both parties must (no later than 7 days before the first hearing) file and serve a Form FM5 setting out their views on using NCDR to resolve the matters in issue (FPR PD 3A as amended).

(ii) Court power to adjourn for NCDR. The court may now, of its own motion (FPR r.3.4(1A)), adjourn proceedings to encourage the parties to undertake NCDR. The parties acknowledge that adverse cost consequences may follow under FPR r.28.3 where a party fails, without good reason, to engage with NCDR (Re X (Financial Remedy: Non-Court Dispute Resolution) [2024] EWFC 114).

(iii) Narrowed MIAM exemptions. The MIAM exemptions in FPR PD 3A have been narrowed: previous-MIAM-attendance and previous-NCDR-attendance exemptions now have a 4-month time limit; the "any other circumstances" exemption has been removed.

Before issuing any private-law children application arising under this Agreement, the parties shall first attempt resolution through one of the NCDR pathways listed above, save where a MIAM exemption under FPR PD 3A para 19 (including domestic-abuse evidence) applies.

Where either party uses an AI tool, automated assessment, parenting algorithm, contact-monitoring app or co-parenting application (including but not limited to OurFamilyWizard, Talking Parents, AppClose, 2houses, AI-based scheduling or recommendation engines, generative-AI chatbots) ("AI Tool") in connection with decisions affecting the child(ren), the parties agree:

(a) No solely automated decisions. No decision affecting the child(ren)'s welfare, contact arrangements, schooling, healthcare, residence or maintenance shall be made on a solely automated basis. Each party retains responsibility for the decision and the AI output shall be treated as an input only, subject to meaningful human review (Article 22(1) UK GDPR).

(b) Transparency. A party using an AI Tool to inform a parenting recommendation shall, on request, disclose to the other parent: (i) the identity and provider of the AI Tool; (ii) the categories of data input; (iii) a plain-English explanation of the AI Tool's logic; and (iv) the AI output relied upon (Articles 13(2)(f), 14(2)(g) and 15(1)(h) UK GDPR — right to meaningful information about the logic involved).

(c) Children's data. The parties acknowledge that children's personal data is special-category sensitive in family-court terms; that AI Tools processing such data must comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025) and the ICO Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code); and that consent or another lawful basis (UK GDPR Art 6) plus an Art 9 condition is required for special-category processing.

(d) Hallucination and bias. The parties recognise the risk of AI hallucination, statistical bias and false-positive safeguarding flags. No AI-generated allegation, risk-rating or recommendation shall be put before a mediator or court without independent verification.

(e) Court communications. Neither party shall file with the Family Court any submission, witness statement or position paper that has been generated by an AI Tool without checking that it accurately states the law and the facts (consistent with the Civil Justice Council guidance on AI in litigation and the duty of candour to the court).

This Agreement shall be read in accordance with the law of England and Wales. Nothing in this Agreement prevents either parent from making an application to the Family Court for a child arrangements order under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 or from seeking the assistance of Cafcass (or CAFCASS Cymru). No term of this Agreement shall be construed as surrendering or varying parental responsibility held under section 3 of the Children Act 1989.

The welfare of the child(ren) is the paramount consideration. Both parties agree to act in a cooperative and child-focused manner and to avoid exposing the child(ren) to any conflict between them (Protection from Harassment Act 1997 principles apply). This Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual written consent. It is not a court order and is not of itself legally binding, but reflects the intentions and commitments of both parties and may be exhibited in family proceedings as evidence of those intentions.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date indicated.