What to do if…
you receive a no-contact order but share childcare or other responsibilities

What to do now

1. Read the full notice before doing anything else.
   Find the page with the conditions. Highlight wording such as “direct or indirect contact”, “by any means”, “through a third party”, “stay away”, “exclusion zone”, named places, named people, and any exception for children, solicitors, handovers, or emergencies.

2. Identify exactly what kind of notice it is.
   Check the heading and issuing body. It may be a family court order, restraining order, police or court bail condition, licence condition, probation instruction, or another official restriction. Do not assume the route is the same for every notice.

3. Check whether childcare is mentioned at all.
   Look for wording about child arrangements, school pickup, medical information, handover locations, solicitors, contact centres, parenting apps, or named third parties. If there is no clear exception, act as if direct and indirect contact are not allowed until you get written clarification.

4. Pause any handover that would put you in contact or near a banned place.
   If the next handover is due soon, do not attend a prohibited address, school area, workplace, or meeting point. Use the named official contact on the paperwork, your solicitor, or the relevant court or police contact to ask what safe arrangement is permitted.

5. Use a no-direct-contact childcare plan only if it fits the written terms.
   Safer options may include:

   • a solicitor sending essential child-focused information;
   • a named third party, but only if indirect contact is allowed or confirmed in writing;
   • a contact centre or supported handover service;
   • a neutral location with separate arrival and leaving times, only if no stay-away term is breached;
   • a parenting app only if it is named in the notice or confirmed in writing as permitted.

6. Handle children’s items without creating contact.
   For medication, school uniform, documents, keys, or equipment, use a method that does not involve messages to the other person. This might be leaving items with a permitted third party, solicitor, contact centre, or school office, but only if the school agrees and the notice does not ban that place or route.

7. Ask for written clarification or variation using the official route on the document.
   Use the reference number and ask for a lawful method for child handovers and essential child-related information. Keep the request short and factual. If you have a solicitor, send them the notice and ask them to deal with it urgently. If it is police bail, use the police contact on the paperwork and ask how to request a variation. If it is a court order, ask the court office or your solicitor how to apply to vary or clarify it. If it is a licence or probation condition, contact the named supervising officer or your solicitor.

8. If there is an immediate child safety emergency, contact emergency services instead of the protected person.
   Call 999 if there is immediate danger or an urgent medical emergency. If it is urgent but not life-threatening, use the urgent medical advice route for where the child is, such as NHS 111 where available, NHS 24 in Scotland, or local out-of-hours care.

9. Keep a simple compliance record.
   Save the notice. Record the date and time of each step you took to avoid contact, who you contacted for clarification, and any written reply. Keep messages factual and child-focused.