Prohibited Steps Order (PSO)

What is a Prohibited Steps Order?

This order can stop someone, usually a parent, from taking certain steps involving a child without proper agreement first. It can be used to stop someone from:

• Taking a child out of school
• Changing a child's surname
• Taking a child abroad
• Moving a child to live somewhere new
• Making big decisions that could affect a child's wellbeing

This order gently limits what one parent can decide alone, so that choices about the child are made with everyone's wellbeing in mind. How long it lasts depends on what the child needs at the time.

This kind of order can last just a few months, several years, or right up until the child turns 16 (and sometimes 18, in unusual cases).

Who Is This For?

You may be able to ask for this if you are:

• A parent
• Someone with responsibility for the child
• A guardian or special guardian
• Someone the child lives with
• A close relative or someone else connected to the child (this may need extra agreement first)

What Happens If The Order Is Breached?

If someone breaks this order without good reason, a few different things can happen, such as:

• A formal warning being given
• Being asked to complete unpaid community work
• A financial penalty
• Changes being made to contact or living arrangements
• In serious cases, a period of time away from the child

Whatever happens, the child's wellbeing always comes first when deciding what to do next.

How Does CDA Help?

Our team at CDA can guide you through every step of asking for this kind of order, explaining your options clearly, checking what support you might be able to access, and helping prepare everything that is needed. There is no hassle at all for using our service.