Prohibited steps order meaning

Stop Press: On 31 March 2026, the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, released consolidated guidance on allocation and gatekeeping for children proceedings in the Family Court, coming into force on 5 May 2026. This replaces the 2014 public and private law guidance and establishes a single framework for allocation across all children cases. It clarifies the functions of gatekeeping teams, aligns allocation choices with contemporary procedural pathways (including Child Focused Courts), and underscores key principles of judicial continuity, proportionality and the efficient deployment of judicial resources, see News Analysis: Consolidated allocation and gatekeeping guidance for children proceedings issued. This Procedural Guide is presently being revised to align with the President’s guidance. It outlines the procedure for applications under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 for a specific issue order to resolve a particular question connected with parental responsibility, or a prohibited steps order limiting the exercise of parental responsibility in a defined respect. It also details who may apply, pre-action obligations, the principles the...

In this issue: Practice and procedure Relationship breakdown Financial provision Private children Public children International children LexTalk®Family: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Updated content Useful information Practice and procedure Master of the Rolls announces update to solicitors’ guideline hourly rates An update to solicitors’ guideline hourly rates has been confirmed by the Master of the Rolls. These figures are used for the summary assessment of court costs in England and Wales. The revision sets new amounts across all grades (A to D) and geographical bands, including London 1-3 and National 1-2. Levels vary according to the fee earner’s experience and location, with the highest rate being £566 per hour for Grade A solicitors in London 1. This change ensures the guideline rates reflect present market conditions and support fair cost assessment in legal proceedings. See: LNB News 02/01/2025 32. Relationship breakdown Voidable divorce orders (The Lord Chancellor v...

In this issue: Practice and procedure Private children Financial provision Public children International children LexTalk®Family: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts Updated content New Q&As Useful information Practice and procedure Family Procedure Rules 2010 Practice Direction Update No 6 of 2024 The sixth 2024 update to the Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR 2010) Practice Directions has been released, revising FPR 2010, PD 5B (setting out when documents can be sent to the court by email), revising FPR 2010, PD 30A (to align with amendments to FPR 2010, SI 2010/2955, r 30.3 regarding appeals) and introducing a new FPR 2010, PD 6D (addressing service of documents). This PD update draws on changes brought in by the Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2024, SI 2024/1016...

In this issue: Working time Brexit, retained EU law and assimilated law Public sector Pay Pensions Tax Prohibited conduct (discrimination etc) Employee rights to be informed and consulted Data protection and employee information Industrial action Corporate governance Immigration Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content IRLR Highlights — February 2024 Dates for your diary Trackers New Q&As Working time Video analysis—Should annual bonuses be included when calculating holiday pay? Launching our concise series on uncertainties created by the recent statutory changes to holiday entitlement and pay, Sarah Watson, barrister, and Cathy Hoar, solicitor, of the Lexis+® UK Employment team, explore whether employers ought to factor annual bonuses into holiday pay calculations. A detailed written summary accompanies the video. See News Analysis: Video analysis—Should annual bonuses be included when calculating holiday pay? Brexit, retained EU law and assimilated law DBT publishes Retained...

Stop Press: On 31 March 2026, Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, published consolidated guidance on allocation and gatekeeping in children proceedings before the Family Court, to take effect on 5 May 2026. This supplants the 2014 public and private law guidance, creating a single scheme for allocation across all children cases. It codifies the function of gatekeeping teams, maps allocation choices to contemporary procedural routes (including Child Focused Courts), and reaffirms the fundamentals of judicial continuity, proportionality, and the efficient deployment of judicial resources; see News Analysis: Consolidated allocation and gatekeeping guidance for children proceedings issued. This Practice Note is being revised to incorporate the President’s guidance. It sets out how to seek an order under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 (ChA 1989)—namely a child arrangements order (CAO), a specific issue order, or a prohibited steps order—and provides direction on the requirement to attend a mediation information and assessment meeting (MIAM)...

Ground rent ‘Ground rent’ typically describes a modest or nominal sum payable under a long lease that has been granted for a premium. Ground rent is payable by the tenant to the landlord (most often yearly or bi-annually). It is distinct from a service charge and is not meant to reimburse the landlord for expenditure. Properties that can attract ground rent include houses and flats, as well as commercial land and buildings. From 30 June 2022, the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 (LR(GR)A 2022) limits the level of ground rent a landlord of an individual dwelling may lawfully charge a tenant under a ‘regulated lease’ (as defined in LR(GR)A 2022, s 1) (a Regulated Lease)—see: What is a ‘regulated lease’? For a Regulated Lease, ground rent is regarded as capped at the specified lawful ‘permitted rent’ (whether or not the lease purports to reserve a higher sum). In most Regulated Leases, the lawful ‘permitted rent’ is an annual ground rent of one peppercorn. The ‘permitted rent’ can be...

This Practice Note explains the changes to residential occupation in Wales introduced by the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 (RH(W)A 2016). It outlines the revised terminology used by RH(W)A 2016, the bases on which a standard occupation contract can be ended, any preliminary requirements a landlord must satisfy before serving a valid termination notice, the steps for ending a standard occupation contract, and the format and service of notices under RH(W)A 2016. It also addresses possession proceedings under CPR Part 55. This Practice Note concerns only standard occupation contracts. For guidance on ending secure contracts, see Practice Notes: Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016—when are occupation contracts secure? and Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016—terms of secure contracts. Terminology under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 RH(W)A 2016 introduces terminology that differs from other housing legislation: lease, licence or tenancy agreement: occupation contract sub-tenancy: sub-occupation contract headlease: head contract tenant: contract-holder sub-tenant: sub-holder landlord: landlord head landlord: head landlord possession...