Glossary

Cafcass is the children and family court advisory and support service. They are involved in the court process of child arrangements where they assist families to make decisions about a child(ren) and often cast as the voice of the child(ren). They are a public body.

CAMHS is a NHS mental health service for children and young people. A child’s GP can also refer a child to CAMHS. CAMHS have primary mental health workers, social workers, therapists, psychotherapists, psychologists, and occupational therapists.

A care order is a court order granted by a court where local authority child services is given responsibility to look after and care for a child they believe is at risk, danger, needs help, is neglected, or needs housing.

Under part 2 section 5 of the care planning, placement and case review (England) regulations 2010, local authority child services will produce a care plan for every looked after child. The care plan is aimed at planning and reviewing the care of a looked after child. It should be, if possible, produced and agreed with the parents or with the person who has parental responsibility, the child’s carers and any professionals involved with the care of the child. The care plan should also be produced before a looked after child is placed in local authority accommodation or during the10 days after being placed.

Care proceedings is a court hearing where the application for a care order made by the local authority is heard by a judge or magistrate. Evidence is presented, cases are put forward, witnesses can be called and decisions are made.

This is a meeting where social workers and individuals from other organisations meet to discuss and determine what steps need to be taken to look after, care and protect a child under 16 years of age.

This is part of the law that is based upon previous court decisions where a precedent has been set rather than the law that has been passed by parliament.

The private office of a barrister or judge. Court hearings that are held in private away from the public are held in chambers.

This programme provides help and aid to students (and adults) who have been referred because they have been recognised to be vulnerable to radicalisation. This programme is multi-agency and gets involved in the early stages of radicalisation.

The tangible personal property of an individual such as a car, clothes and jewellery.

In the UK a child is referred to as an individual who is under 18 years of age.

Child abandonment is when a parent or the person with parental responsibility leaves a child with the intention of not returning to take care of their parental duties towards the child.

Child abduction is the term used to describe the unauthorised removal from, detention or non-return of a child to their parent(s) or guardian(s) by force, threats, blackmail, deception or through violent means. The only way a child can be removed from their parents is with their consent or with a court order. Child abduction is also referred to as child theft.

Child abuse is the term used when a person aged 18 years or under is being harmed or not being looked after in a proper fashion. Child abuse can a one off action or many actions over a period of time. Child abuse can happen in person and online

Adoption is the process where the parental responsibility of a child is transferred from the birth parent(s) or any individual or organisation with parental responsibility to the adoptive parent(s). The child will become a member of the adoptive family. Adoption is a legal process and is legally binding.

This order states with whom a child is to live, spend time or otherwise have contact. It will also address other issues relating to the child. It replaces contact and residence orders and combines both in one order.

An assessment order is one that is granted by the court so that a local authority social worker can assess a child’s health and well-being to ascertain whether the child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed.

Under section 17 of the children act 1989, a child in need plan is one that is written after a meeting where it has been established that the child does not need a child protection plan however, the child and the family still need support for other needs and to ensure the child safety and welfare.

A child minder is a regular form of childcare where the child goes to the home or workplace of the childminder during the day. They are qualified, registered with Ofsted and/or with an agency.

Money mules is the process whereby criminals will use the bank accounts of an individual below the age of 18 years to launder money. A child money mule will accept money into their bank account and then transfer it to another account. Very often the child can keep a little of the money afterwards. This is also known as squaring.

Child obesity is when a child’s weight and body fat is very much over the accepted standard for their height and age. Child obesity is a complex disease which can lead to a lifetime of medical complications and issues. Obesity occurs when a child consumes much more calories than they need for growth and development. These extra calories are stored as fat in the body. The excess fat increases the child’s weight and as stated above when this weight is very much over the accepted standard for the child’s height and weight they are considered obese.

Child prostitution is the commercial sexual exploitation of a child. The child is offered to many individuals for sexual activity in exchange for money as well as drugs in some cases. The child may receive money, food, gifts, or could be paying off a debt to engage in and perform sexual activities. Children can be prostituted on the streets, brothels, hotels, massage parlours or at gatherings and parties in restaurants. Child prostitution is a form of child sexual exploitation.

A child protection conference is a meeting about a child where the following is discussed: The child’s health, education, safety and welfare will be discussed. Details of any enquiries that have been made will be discussed. Any concerns about the child will be brought to the forefront. Previous harm or abuse will be talked about An assessment may be done to ascertain whether the child is at risk now and in the future. A child who is at risk will have a child protection plan written for them. This is determined at the child protection conference.

A child protection plan is written for a child who has been identified as one that is at risk at a child protection conference. A child protection plan will detail the following What provisions will need to be made available for the child to ensure the child is safe and prevent further harm or abuse. What steps need to be taken to ensure the child is safe and protected now and in the future. What can be done to promote the health and well being of the child. What can be done to promote the development of the child. What can be done to support the family of the child. The expected outcome, the timelines, and who will be responsible for which part of the plan will be noted in the plan.

All schools and education establishments must have a document called a child protection policy as part of their pastoral care. A child protection policy can be referred to as a safeguarding and child protection procedure policy or something similar but they are the same thing. All policies must be available for all students, parents and staff to read. Most schools have it available on their website.

A child safety order is usually imposed by the court on a child 10 years and younger when the child breaks the law, commits an offence or does not adhere to a curfew. A child 10 years old and under cannot be charged with a criminal offence. A child safety order can last from 3 months to 1 year. If the child continues the bad behaviour the court then may order the child to be taken into care and become a looked after child. The child’s parents can be prosecuted if they are found negligent.

Child services is a department in all local authorities that are responsible for the care, protection and welfare of all children in the borough, especially vulnerable and looked after children (children in care). They undertake all the duties outlined in the order dated 2010 below.

Child sexual exploitation is when an individual takes advantage of their dominance, influence, power and perceived superior position over a child under 18 years of age to force, coerce, entice, blackmail, threaten, or scare them into engaging in any form of sexual activity. The child can be given gifts, money, drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol in exchange for sexual activity. The child can also be given protection, status, perceived love and affection if they agree to perform the sexual activities asked of them. The sexual activity can be with them or with others. It can be in person or online. A child can comply with the requested sexual activities to safeguard their friends and family from harm. The individual who is sexually exploiting the child could receive money, discounted drugs, alcohol or debt clearance in exchange for offering the child for sexual activity.

Child sexual grooming is when someone befriends or develops a relationship with a child and sometimes also their family, gains their trust so they can exploit, manipulate and sexually abuse the child. The connection the abuser develops allows them to reduce the inhibitions of the child making them more susceptible to the sexual abuse. A child who has been groomed can be exploited sexually and in certain circumstances they can be trafficked. An abuser who wants to groom your child may also groom the child’s parents to gain time alone with the child. If the parents are busy the abuser can offer to babysit the child, take the child to sports clubs, or coach and mentor your child. They may even try and spend more time at your home offering to do tasks to be useful or buy gifts for the family. Grooming is a gradual process which can take place over a period of time. It is predatory behaviour.

Child slavery is the exploitation and use of children for another individual’s benefit, profit, advantage or gratification. Child slavery can encompass criminal activity (selling drugs, weapons, crimes), forced labour (work for little or no pay) and sexual activity (prostitution and sexual exploitation) . A child can be threatened, controlled, blackmailed, manipulated, coerced, and deceived into committing crimes, slavery, prostitution or labour. There is a power imbalance between the child and the individual(s) exploiting the child. Even though it may seem that the child has consented to participate in the exploitation that is not the case.

Child trafficking is the commercial trade of children for the purpose of illegal activities including sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, forced labour, slavery or for their organs. Child trafficking can be local, national or international. A child can be deceived, coerced, blackmailed, and manipulated, into being trafficked.

A child with medical needs means that they have a medical condition

A child’s identity is a culmination of many representations they have about themselves. In basic language, a child’s identity is describing who they are and how they perceive themselves and how others perceive them. A child’s identity is composed of two things, those things that cannot be changed and those that can.

Childcare is when an individual is hired or asked to provide care for a child under the age of 18 years.

The legislation passed by the UK government in 1989 that governs issues relating to children.

This is a document you must send to the court at the start of financial proceedings but before the FDA (financial dispute appointment/the first appointment). Your chronology should be a concise list with dates in chronological order of the key life events and incidents in your marriage leading up to the divorce. It is sometimes referred to as a background summary and should be no more than 1-2 pages long. This will help the judge at the first directions appointment (FDA).

A circuit judge is a judge who will preside over a case at their local county court.

These state colleges are funded by the government and by organisations and companies. The age of their pupils is between 11 – 18 years. They offer GCSEs, A Levels and many other vocational qualifications. These colleges follow the national curriculum however their main focus is mathematics, technology and science.

A persistent offender of anti-social behaviour can be issued with a civil injunction by the court. A person aged 10 years and over can be issued with a civil injunction. For a child under 18 years of age a civil injunction can last up to 1 year. For a child under 18 years of age if they disobey a civil injunction they will get a 3 month detention order.

A form of relationship that is legally binding but giving the same rights as those of a married couple.

Clearing is a system organised by UCAS by which universities and colleges fill their courses where seats are still available. It is also a way for students who have not achieved the required grades to be admitted onto the course they initially applied for to get onto another course at the same university or another university.

The CMS oversees child maintenance payments. It is used by parents who cannot come to an agreement about child maintenance. The CMS replaced the CSA (child support agency) in November 2013.

This is a supplementary document that is attached to a will that states any changes you have made to your will without having to rewrite the whole will.

A form of domestic violence where an act or a series of acts by a partner or a member of the family results in controlling, scaring, and isolating you. Coercive control encompasses many forms of domestic violence.

The word used to describe the act of a couple living together.

Where two individuals live together as a couple without being legally married.

This is a legal agreement between a couple who are or intend to live together which details child arrangements, how finances are spent and the responsibilities of each partner while living together.

A cold parent is one that often fulfils the physical needs of their child but neglects loving, caring and showering affection on their child. They also do not let their child show negative emotions and shut these down instantly. Another name for cold parent syndrome is refrigerator parent or parent wound.

This is the act of sending an individual to prison.

This is the term used when a couple live together but they are not married or in a civil partnership. These couples are called common law spouses or partners. They do not have the same rights as a married couple when they separate.

A persistent offender of anti-social behaviour can be issued with a community protection notice by the court. A person aged 16 years and over can be issued with a community protection notice. There is no maximum period a community protection notice can last for. For a child under 18 years of age if they disobey a community protection notice they will get a fine of between £100 and £2500.00.

A community school is a maintained state school. It is funded, maintained and owned by the local authority. The local authority owns the whole school estate (the land and buildings). A community school follows the national curriculum, government direction on admissions, exclusions and SEN guidelines. A community school will allow the community to use their premises, offer adult classes, and childcare services. A community school is not influenced by religious organisations or any businesses. They are inspected by Ofsted.

This is when a child is convicted of a crime by a court but instead of being sent to jail they are expected to do unpaid work to benefit the local area and community. This is also referred to as community payback.

UK law says that all children aged between 5 years and 16 years must be provided with a suitable education and are entitled to a place free of charge at a UK state school.

Conceiving means to become pregnant. It describes the process when a man’s sperm fertilises a woman’s egg to make an embryo, then this embryo implants itself into the woman’s uterus for a pregnancy to start.

The word used to describe the behaviour of either spouse/partner during the marriage and/or during child proceedings.

The court can, in unusual circumstances, take your conduct or the conduct of your ex-partner in the marriage, separation and during proceedings into account. Normally, this concerns the most extreme forms of negative behaviour.

This is a court order where a parent is ordered to pay a certain amount of child and/or spousal maintenance minus the amount calculated by the child maintenance service.

A court order where the content have been agreed between you and your ex-partner either between yourselves or with the help of mediation and approved by the court. In other words it is a court order reached by yours and your ex-partners consent. This consent order will also have a court stamp, mandatory warnings and penal notices on it. In child arrangements, a consent order is called a child arrangements order that has been reached by consent. In financial settlement/division of assets, a consent order is called a financial consent order. 

An individual who is guilty of contempt of court is called a contemnor.

When you or your ex-partner have not complied with the directions of a court order. A person who is in contempt of court can be fined or imprisoned.

This is the process of how legal fees will be paid depending upon the outcome of a court case. An example of this is the 'no win no fee' type of court case.

A cord blood bank is where this blood from the placenta and umbilical cord is stored and saved for future medical use.

Cord blood banking is the process where the blood from the placenta and the umbilical cord is drained (extracted) and saved immediately after the birth of a baby.

Corporate parenting is the combined care given by local authority child services, local authority support agencies, local services and local authority employees to look after the welfare, to support, to safeguard and protect all looked after children. The care local authority child services should provide for a looked after child is detailed in section 22 (3) of the children act 1989.

A costs order is a court order stating that one party will pay the full legal fees of the other party or contribute some money to cover part of the legal fees. A judge will normally determine this at the end of the divorce proceedings, however depending upon the conduct of the parties, this can be determined at any stage of the proceedings. Legal costs include solicitor and barrister fees and other relevant legal fees incurred. 

Another name for a barrister or a person legally advising you about your court case.

The county court is the name used for a civil court where family cases are heard and dealt with.

Coursework is written or practical work done by a student during the period they are studying and learning about a subject or course. Coursework can be part of the final marks of the course.

These are fees that are paid to the court regarding submission of applications to start proceedings and deal with matters within proceedings.

The court of appeal in the court which deals with appeal applications that are made to reverse or change decisions made by a lower court.

A legal document outlining the decisions that have been made during a court hearing. The court order will have a court stamp, and contain mandatory warnings and penal notices.

All court hearings are audio recorded and kept safe by the court. When required these recordings are written down on paper for you to read what happened at the hearing (who said what and when). This is called a transcript.

This term means the court that will deal with your case has the legal right to hear and make decisions about your case. EXAMPLE – A British couple living in Spain cannot get divorced in a court in California USA. The Californian court does not have the jurisdiction to deal with their case unless they fulfil the country’s criteria to make a divorce application.

A cover letter is sent alongside a CV to a prospective employer. It’s purpose is to introduce you and explain that you are sending a CV for them to consider you for a position at their company or organisation.

A cheche worker is a nursery assistant or worker that looks after and helps children up to the age of 5 years in a nursery setting.

This is a voluntary community programme run by your local youth offending team designed to keep children away from crime. Children in trouble with the law or who commit antisocial behaviour should attend. A child can be referred by the police, your local youth offending team, the school, a parent, or a child services social worker

A persistent offender of anti-social behaviour can be issued with a criminal behaviour order by the court if they have already been convicted of a crime. A person aged 10 years and over can be issued with a criminal behaviour order. For a child under 18 years of age a criminal behaviour order can last between 1 – 3 years. For a child under 18 years of age if they disobey a criminal behaviour order they will get a 2 year detention order.

This happens when both you and the other party in proceedings make the same application more or less at the same time.

This happens in court where an individual will be asked questions by the other party. A barrister usually conducts the cross examination.

The CSA was replaced by the CMS (child maintenance service) in November 2013. It oversees all maintenance agreements made before November 2013.

The word ‘curriculum’ is used to describe all the academic content of subjects that is taught in an education establishment and the expected attainment levels and standards for each of the 4 key stages of education in primary and secondary school.

A child under 18 years of age given a custodial sentence will be sent to a secure unit for children. They will not be sent to an adult jail. The court will give a custodial sentence if the crime is a serious one.

Today in 2022 this term refers to 'with whom the child shall live with'. Another word for custody is residence.

This is when a child is sent to a secure unit until and during their trial at court.

A CV is a concise document that essentially talks about you and sells you to an employer/organisation. Another name for a CV is resume.