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Legal basics · England & Wales
The other court orders you might hear about in a child arrangements case
This is a plain-English map of the other orders a parent might hear mentioned alongside a child arrangements order. They each have a narrower purpose, and most families never encounter any of them.
Four names to know
Orders with a particular job to do.
The names can sound formal, especially when you are already trying to understand a court process. The useful question is what each order is designed to deal with.
Prohibited Steps Order
A Prohibited Steps Order is an order that says a specified step which a parent could take while meeting parental responsibility for a child must not be taken without the court's consent. That is the effect of section 8(1) of the Children Act 1989.
It may come up when one specific proposed action is disputed and the question is whether that action should happen without the court's agreement. The order is about the step named in it, rather than a general decision about every part of family life.
Day to day, the practical point is simple: the specified step is not to be taken without the consent required by the order. Read the wording carefully, because the order's scope comes from what it actually specifies.
Specific Issue Order
A Specific Issue Order gives directions to determine a specific question that has arisen, or may arise, in connection with any aspect of parental responsibility for a child. That is the section 8(1) description.
It may be mentioned when a particular question needs a clear decision and the parents cannot reach one together. The focus is the identified question, not a wholesale reworking of the arrangements around the child.
Day to day, it gives the people involved a defined direction about the question covered by the order. It does not, by its name alone, answer every other disagreement that might arise later.
Section 91(14) order
A section 91(14) order can say that a named person must not make an application of a specified kind about the child without leave of the court. In other words, permission is needed before that specified kind of further application can be made.
It may be discussed where the court is dealing with genuinely repeated applications of a specified kind. Section 91A, added by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and in force from 19 May 2022, also covers the situation where a further application would put the child or another person at risk of harm. That is a protection in the court's toolkit, not a reason to frighten a parent who is trying to understand the process.
Day to day, the person named in the order needs leave of the court before making the applications covered by it. The restriction is not a blanket statement about every possible application, so the exact wording matters.
Family Assistance Order
A Family Assistance Order under section 16 requires a Cafcass or Cafcass Cymru officer, or a local authority officer, to advise, assist and, where appropriate, befriend a person named in the order. Every named adult must consent, and it lasts for 12 months unless a shorter period is set.
It may come up when practical support from an officer is part of what the court considers useful for the people named in the order. The wording is about advice, assistance and appropriate support, rather than a new child arrangements timetable by itself.
Day to day, a named person can receive the kind of support described in the order during its set period. The consent requirement is important: every named adult must agree before this order can be made.
How the pieces fit
These are not the whole child arrangements dispute.
A child arrangements order is about where a child lives and when they spend time with each parent. The four orders above have more specific purposes: stopping a named step, deciding a named question, requiring permission for a specified kind of repeat application, or providing agreed assistance.
Our guide to child arrangements orders explains the central order in more detail. Cafcass can also be part of the picture, so our Cafcass guide gives the wider background. Some areas now use the newer Child Focused Courts process, which is a separate change to how some cases are handled.
Most separated parents will not need any of these specialist orders. If one is mentioned in a letter, hearing or conversation, it is reasonable to note the exact name, read the exact wording and seek advice about your own situation if you need it. This page cannot tell you what you should apply for or how a court would decide.
A quiet practical tool
Keep the ordinary details clear.
Whatever orders are being discussed, everyday arrangements still need careful notes: what was agreed, which dates were discussed and what changed. ParentGlow is designed as a calm place to keep those practical details together. It cannot replace legal advice or a court order, but a clear record can make the ordinary parts easier to find when you need them.
Quick answers
Questions about other court orders.
Are these orders the same as a child arrangements order?
No. A child arrangements order sets out where a child lives or when they spend time with each parent. These orders deal with a particular issue, a particular step, repeat applications or practical support.
Can a Prohibited Steps Order stop a child moving abroad?
It can restrict a specified step without the court's consent. What an order covers depends on the wording of the order and the circumstances before the court.
What does a section 91(14) order do?
It can require a named person to get the court's permission before making an application of a specified kind about the child. Section 91A also recognises risk of harm from a further application.
How long can a Family Assistance Order last?
It lasts for 12 months unless the order sets a shorter period, and every named adult must consent.
Does this guide cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. This is general information about England and Wales. Family law and court processes in Scotland and Northern Ireland differ.
Sources checked and read 13 September 2026: Children Act 1989, section 8 · Children Act 1989, section 91 · Children Act 1989, section 91A · Children Act 1989, section 16.
More legal basics: Child arrangements orders, explained → · Cafcass, explained → · All guides →
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