Assumption: "If I move out of the family home, I lose my say in the children's lives, or an arrangement has to be formally agreed before I go."

Court Reality

Parental responsibility does not end because a parent moves out (see gaps 55 and 57). Without a child arrangements order, nothing automatically fixes where the children live or how time is shared once one parent leaves. Arrangements can be agreed informally, but an informal agreement is not binding (see gap 561). If the matter does reach court, the welfare checklist in section 1(3) of the Children Act 1989 includes the likely effect on the child of any change in circumstances. The pattern the children become used to, including time with each parent after the move, can form part of that picture. Money is separate. Child maintenance and any financial order are not decided by who moved out (see gap 519).