How to sort out child contact at Christmas?

This article was originally published on 8 December 2020 by Varinder Bhandal and updated on 7 December 2022 and 5 July 2024 by Seetal Jandoo.

Many separated parents leave it too late to agree arrangements about child contact over the Christmas and New Year holidays. It’s a good idea to agree arrangements in advance and whilst Christmas may still seem far away many local Citizen Advice offices and solicitors’ offices close just before the Christmas holidays and the courts are extremely busy at that time too.

Dealing with Christmas contact in advance means that if an agreement can be reached then everyone can enjoy the lead up to Christmas and if an agreement cannot be reached then there is still enough time to make an application to the court for a specific issue order.

We have compiled the following top tips to help parents arrange Christmas contact:

• It’s best to send proposals in advance to the other parent so that an agreement can be reached that suits everyone.
• A possible option is for the child to split Christmas Day between both parents. Another option is for the child to spend Christmas Day with one parent and Christmas Eve / Boxing Day with the other parent. When parents agree to the latter option then it’s usual for that arrangement to alternate each year so that the child gets to spend Christmas Day with each parent every other year.
• The agreement should be confirmed in writing to avoid any last-minute confusion. This could be a hand-written note, text message or email etc.
• The parent who does not live with the child may want to ask the other parent for a list of gift ideas, or if the child is old enough, then the child could make a Christmas wish-list themselves.
• It’s best to be flexible and to focus on making Christmas a happy time for the child.

If an agreement cannot be reached about Christmas contact then the parent concerned may want to think about suggesting that both parents attend family mediation to try and reach an agreement. The family court will expect both parents to have tried mediation. The government offers a voucher scheme which provides a contribution of up to £500 towards mediation costs for the family where the case involves disputes concerning children. Legal Aid funding may also be available for mediation for those on a low income, but this will cover the cost of the introductory meeting and the first meeting for both parties even if only one of them is eligible for legal aid.

If mediation does not work then the parent who does not live with the child may want to consider making an urgent application to the court for a specific issue order. Legal Aid funding is not usually available for this type of application and the Court fee is currently £255 with no guarantee that the Court will deal with it in time. If you are fast approaching Christmas, if contact arrangements cannot be agreed, it may be wise to seek legal advice from a family solicitor, to discuss options in more detail.

This article was written by Family Law Experts in the Expert Advice Team at Citizens Advice.

The information in this article is correct as of the date of publication. Unfortunately, we are unable to respond to comments left on the medium site — please contact expertadvicesupport@citizensadvice.org.uk if you wish to give feedback on an article.