What options for a child’s long-term care might be looked at during care proceedings?

The final decisions that are made in care proceedings are about these things:

• The best long-term care arrangements for the child
• Who the child should have an ongoing relationship with and stay in touch with. This includes who the child should see, how often and other such arrangements. This is often referred to as ‘contact arrangements’
• Whether any kind of court order is needed to put those arrangements in place.

Even if everyone involved in the case agrees what the right plan for the child is, the final decision must be made by the Family Court. For information about how the court has to approach making decisions see What does the Family Court have to look at when making decisions about a child?  See our The stages of care proceedings page information and advice about the process of care proceedings. This explains at what stage final decisions may be made and what is involved.

The options for a child’s long-term care that might be looked at during care proceedings will depend on the child’s needs and the precise situation.

Below we show some of the options and final plans for children that often come before the Family Court.

• Children in care under court orders
• Children in the care system under voluntary arrangements (section 20)
• Adoption
• Kinship carers