Section 8 orders
Prohibited Steps & Specific Issue Orders
Alongside a Child Arrangements Order, these are the other two orders you can apply for on the C100 under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. They deal with specific parental decisions — not the day-to-day arrangements for where the child lives or who they spend time with.
Prohibited Steps Order
A Prohibited Steps Order stops the other parent from doing something specific in relation to the children without the court's permission. It is used when you need the court to prevent a decision or action, not to authorise one.
Common examples: preventing the other parent from taking the children abroad, moving them to a different part of the country, changing their surname, removing them from their current school, or arranging a particular medical procedure.
Specific Issue Order
A Specific Issue Order asks the court to decide a particular question about the children's upbringing that the parents cannot agree on. It is used when you need a decision made, rather than an action stopped.
Common examples: which school the children should attend, whether they should be raised in a particular faith, whether they should receive a specific medical treatment or vaccination, or whether one parent may relocate with them within the UK.
Quick rule of thumb: if you want the court to stop something happening, that's a Prohibited Steps Order. If you want the court to decide something, that's a Specific Issue Order.