Petition · past parliament
Contact orders for non-resident parents remain active during lock-down
Rejected
15 signatures
What the petition asks
Non-resident parents meeting isolation guidelines and without symptoms of Covid-19 should retain the contact granted in their contact order, maintaining the relationship with their children and reducing unnecessary stress to the children during this difficult period.
Where there is contention between parents necessitating a contact order, the resident parent may use the new guidelines for Covid-19 isolation to prevent contact between the children and the non-resident parent.
To encourage continued healthy relationships between the children and non-resident parent, in cases where the non-resident parent and any/all members of their household are adhering to all guidelines, with no symptoms, the contact order should take precedence.
To encourage continued healthy relationships between the children and non-resident parent, in cases where the non-resident parent and any/all members of their household are adhering to all guidelines, with no symptoms, the contact order should take precedence.
Why it was rejected
It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.
Compliance with Child Arrangement Orders is a matter for a child's parents and the courts, not the Government or Parliament.
The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has published guidance on compliance with Family Court Child Arrangement Orders, which is available here: https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/coronavirus-crisis-guidance-on-compliance-with-family-court-child-arrangement-orders/
The Government's guidance on social distancing does state that, where parents do not live in the same household, children under 18 can be moved between their parents’ homes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has published guidance on compliance with Family Court Child Arrangement Orders, which is available here: https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/coronavirus-crisis-guidance-on-compliance-with-family-court-child-arrangement-orders/
The Government's guidance on social distancing does state that, where parents do not live in the same household, children under 18 can be moved between their parents’ homes: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others
You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
The Government has also created an online service to help you out what you can do if you’re struggling because of coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-support
You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips
You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/
You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/
Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
Timeline
| 23 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 29 Apr 2020 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
15
Status
Rejected
Rejected
29 Apr 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.