Grandparents often play a vital and stabilising role in a child’s life, providing continuity, care, and emotional support. When family relationships break down, contact with grandchildren can be suddenly and distressingly lost. This page explains the legal position for grandparents in England and Wales and outlines the practical steps available to help preserve or restore that important family bond.
Understanding that each client’s situation is unique, we provide personalised advice tailored to your specific needs.
In England and Wales, grandparents do not have an automatic legal right to see their grandchildren. This often comes as a surprise, but the law places parental responsibility at the centre of decision-making. That said, the courts recognise the valuable role grandparents frequently play in a child’s life, particularly where there has been a close and settled relationship.
If informal arrangements are not possible, a grandparent may apply to the court for permission to seek a child arrangements order. The court’s focus is not on adult entitlements but on the child’s welfare. Where continued involvement with a grandparent is shown to be safe, positive, and in the child’s best interests, the court can and often does support meaningful contact.
No. Grandparents do not have automatic legal rights to contact with their grandchildren. Unlike parents, they must usually obtain the court’s permission before applying for a child arrangements order.
Yes, but permission (leave) of the court is normally required first. The court will consider factors such as the existing relationship with the child, the reasons for the application, and whether the application is in the child’s best interests.
The court’s paramount consideration is the child’s welfare. Where a grandparent has played a meaningful role in the child’s life and contact is safe and beneficial, the court is often willing to support ongoing involvement, even if parents object.
In most cases, yes. Grandparents are usually expected to attend a mediation information and assessment meeting (MIAM) before making an application, unless an exemption applies, such as domestic abuse or urgency.
A specialist family law solicitor can advise on prospects of success, represent grandparents in mediation, prepare a strong application for permission and contact, and present the case effectively to the court with a clear focus on the child’s welfare.
