Do grandparents have any rights by law to see there grandchild?
Assuming we’re talking about the law in England & Wales, if the grandparents are being prevented from having contact with the children, they need to apply for leave to apply (yep, that’s right, it’s a two stage process) for defined contact under the Children Act l989. The forms are downloadable from the Court website www.courtservice.gov.org. There’s a fee (sorry, can’t remember how much). The application for leave to apply goes before a district judge and in almost all cases, the grandparents will be granted leave. They then file the application for contact and the matter is listed for a brief directions hearing. A Cafcass officer (social worker) will meet everyone and file a report recommending what should happen about contact. The parents, grandparents and any other relevant people file statements and the court makes a decision. In many cases, these things are settled before the final hearing.
