A Child Arrangement Order (CAO) is a court order made under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989 that determines where a child lives, who the child spends time with, and when that contact takes place. These orders replaced the previous 'Residence Orders' and 'Contact Orders' in 2014.
The court's paramount concern in making a Child Arrangement Order is the welfare of the child. The order may specify 'lives with' arrangements, 'spends time with' arrangements, or both. At Tracenet Legal Services, we serve these sensitive family court documents with discretion and professionalism.
Child Arrangement Orders must be served on the respondent to ensure they are aware of the court's directions. Personal service by a professional process server provides the strongest evidence that the respondent has received the order.