Early access
Bring the calm home.
One plan covers both homes. A hello, the odd update, and one email when it's your turn.
Almost there. Check your email and tap the link to confirm. 
Free during early access · one plan covers both parents · unsubscribe anytime
Legal basics · England & Wales
What a child arrangements order can cover in day-to-day family life
An order is not a guide to every parenting decision. It sets the legal arrangements for where a child lives, spends time and has contact. This page helps you connect that wording to the ordinary rhythms of school, holidays and staying in touch.
The legal starting point
Start with what the order is actually for.
The Children Act 1989 says a child arrangements order regulates who a child is to live with, spend time with or otherwise have contact with, and when those arrangements happen.
GOV.UK describes this in everyday terms: the court can decide where a child lives, who they spend time with and whether other types of contact take place, such as phone calls. Cafcass similarly describes an order as setting out where a child lives and who they spend time with.
That is the useful boundary for day-to-day life. The order concerns living arrangements, time and contact. It is not a substitute for reading its own words carefully, and this guide cannot add terms that are not in it.
The ordinary week
School days, weekends and contact are the practical picture.
Cafcass says arrangements after separation depend on a child’s age, wishes and needs, parents’ commitments, their homes and how far apart they live.
Where the child is living
This is one of the arrangements a child arrangements order can regulate under the Children Act.
When time happens
The Act covers when a child is to live with, spend time with or otherwise have contact with a person. The order’s own wording is the place to look for the timetable that applies.
Other contact
GOV.UK gives phone calls as an example of another type of contact a child arrangements order may address.
Cafcass says children cope best with predictable, regular routines, while also recognising that arrangements vary from family to family. That is helpful context, not a rule for your family or a prediction of what a court would decide.
Different parts of the year
Term time and holidays often need to be read as different practical questions.
Cafcass advises parents to think about separate routines for term time and holiday time, and to arrange special occasions well ahead where possible.
That does not mean every order uses the same level of detail. It means school weeks, school holidays, birthdays and festivals can matter when parents are making arrangements work in practice. If an order applies, check what it says before treating a past routine or a proposed swap as agreed.
For practical planning alongside an agreed arrangement, see our guide to splitting school holidays and guide to calmer handovers. They are not legal interpretations and do not change an order.
What is separate
Not every parenting question is a child arrangements order question.
GOV.UK says the type of order depends on what parents cannot agree about, and that more than one type of order can be requested.
A specific issue order is for a particular question about a child’s upbringing, such as which school they should attend. A prohibited steps order can stop a parent from making a permanent decision about upbringing, for example taking a child out of the country. Those are different orders with different purposes.
A child arrangements order also does not decide every small choice that comes with a normal week. If wording is unclear or a practical issue has become disputed, this page cannot tell you what it means. GOV.UK links to current information on changing or enforcing an order; individual advice can come from a family solicitor or authorised advice service.
When life changes
Growing up changes the practical picture.
Cafcass says children’s needs and wishes change as they grow, and that parents may need to review agreed arrangements over time.
A new school year, activities, work patterns or a child’s developing routine can all make an existing arrangement feel different in practice. That does not by itself tell anyone what an order means or whether it should change. It is a reason to keep the exact order separate from any conversation about future arrangements.
Our guide to changing child arrangements as children grow explains the practical distinction between a routine that needs reviewing and an order that needs current official guidance.
A calm way to use this guide
Read the order first. Use a guide for the wider context.
The court order is the document that applies to your family. A general guide can only explain the legal categories around it.
GOV.UK says a court order is legally binding and sets out the child arrangements parents must follow. Keep a copy of the current order somewhere both its date and wording can be checked. If you are considering a change, or if there is disagreement about following it, use the current GOV.UK guidance and get individual advice where needed.
Child arrangements orders, explained → · When regular days are unclear → · All guides →
Quick answers
Questions about what an order can cover.
What can a child arrangements order decide?
Under the Children Act 1989, a child arrangements order regulates who a child is to live with, spend time with or otherwise have contact with, and when those arrangements take place. GOV.UK gives phone calls as an example of another type of contact.
Does a child arrangements order decide where a child goes to school?
Not by itself. GOV.UK says a specific issue order is the order to ask the court to decide a particular question about a child’s upbringing, such as school.
Does an order have to set out every school holiday or handover?
This guide cannot interpret an individual order. Cafcass says parents planning time after separation may need to think separately about term time, holidays and special occasions. Read the exact wording of any order that applies to your family.
What if an existing order no longer fits day-to-day life?
GOV.UK directs parents with an existing order to its current guidance on changing or enforcing an order. A family solicitor or authorised advice service can advise on individual circumstances.
Sources read 27 September 2026: Children Act 1989, section 8 · GOV.UK, apply for a court order · GOV.UK, make a child arrangements plan · Cafcass, private law proceedings · Cafcass, planning your child’s time after separation. This is general information for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules.
Keep theday-to-daypicture clear.
A shared calendar cannot interpret an order, but it can help both homes see the arrangements that have been agreed.
Almost there. Check your email and tap the link to confirm.
Free during early access · one plan covers both parents · unsubscribe anytime