Section 8 — Children Act 1989: Child arrangements orders and other orders with respect to children.

Child arrangements orders and other orders with respect to children. 8 1 In this Act — "child arrangements order " means an order regulating arrangements relating to any of the following— with whom a child is to live, spend time or otherwise have contact, and when a child is to live, spend time or otherwise have contact with any person; ... “ a prohibited steps order ” means an order that no step which could be taken by a parent in meeting his parental responsibility for a child, and which is of a kind specified in the order, shall be taken by any person without the consent of the court; ... “ a specific issue order ” means an order giving directions for the purpose of determining a specific question which has arisen, or which may arise, in connection with any aspect of parental responsibility for a child.

2 In this Act “ a section 8 order ” means any of the orders mentioned in subsection (1) and any order varying or discharging such an order.

3 For the purposes of this Act “ family proceedings ” means any proceedings—

a under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court in relation to children;

and b under the enactments mentioned in subsection (4), but does not include proceedings on an application for leave under section 100(3).

4 The enactments are—

a Parts I, II and IV of this Act;

b the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973;

ba Schedule 5 to the Civil Partnership Act 2004;

c the Domestic Violence and Matrimonial Proceedings Act 1976;

d the Adoption and Children Act 2002;

e the Domestic Proceedings and Magistrates’ Courts Act 1978;

ea Schedule 6 to the Civil Partnership Act 2004;

f sections 1 and 9 of the Matrimonial Homes Act 1983;

g Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984;

h the Family Law Act 1996 ;

i sections 11 and 12 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 ;

j Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 (other than paragraph 3 of that Schedule). k Part 3 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, where the proceedings are in the family court or the Family Division of the High Court.