Newsroom Image - child playing with toy horse

Family

DNA testing and the family courts

All Family Court Judges in England will be able to order DNA testing to determine a child’s paternity from September 2015.


18 February 2015

Efficiency in child law cases

Hopefully this will result in reduced delays and Court costs in family and child law cases.

The move follows two pilot schemes which took place in Taunton and Bristol. Findings from the pilots suggested that this move will mean that judges are more confident when making decisions about arrangements for children.

It is possible to ask for a DNA test when a parent applies to the Child Maintenance Service for maintenance for their child and parentage is disputed.

Parentage determination criteria

However, the Child Maintenance Service is entitled to assume parentage if the person named as the parent was married to the child’s mother at any time between the conception and birth of the child (unless the child was adopted), is named on the child’s birth certificate (unless the child was adopted), has taken a DNA test that shows they’re the parent, has legally adopted the child or is named in a Court order as the parent when the child was born to a surrogate mother.

The change to the way in which DNA tests are dealt with will come almost 18 months after changes were implemented which saw the Family Courts making Child Arrangement Orders for children rather than Residence Orders and Contact Orders.

How we can help

Essentially, a Child Arrangement Order is a Court Order which dictates with whom a child is to live and spend time. It is important to obtain legal advice from a specialist Family Solicitor before making an application for a Child Arrangement Order and also to consider alternatives to Court.

For an initial consultation call our expert Family Solicitors 24/7 on freephone 0330 041 5869 or contact us online and we’ll be happy to help you.

All information was correct at the time of publication.

Find out more from our experts
Child maintenance lawyers
Family Law
Child maintenance guide
Ideally, separated or divorced parents will reach a Family-Based Agreement for child maintenance. When this doesn't happen, our family lawyers are here to help.
Young family with two children playing in the water
Family law
Child arrangements after divorce
The Family Court puts the needs and safety of children first at all times, sometimes using child arrangement orders to do so. Our child arrangement order lawyers are here to help if you need to apply for a court order.
Mother holding young son under a tree
Family law
Separation agreement lawyers
A separation agreement sets out your financial arrangements when you separate, enabling you both to live separate lives while you consider where your marriage or civil partnership goes from here.
Family solicitors
Family Law
Family law solicitors
We understand life’s journey doesn’t always go as planned. If you need a solicitor on your side, our expert family law team is on hand to ensure any challenges faced become less overwhelming, so you can move forward with confidence.
Search our website
Filter
Filter:
Sorry, we have no results to show
Please try a different search term.
Oops, something went wrong
Please try typing in your search again.
Back to top