Prohibited Steps Order (PSO) | England & Wales

Stop a child being taken abroad, moved to a new school, removed from your care, or having their surname changed without your consent. Our McKenzie Friends have 18+ years’ experience helping parents prepare and present a Prohibited Steps Order application, including urgent, without-notice applications. We help on both sides, whether you’re applying for a PSO or opposing one made against you.

Book a free consultation Call 0800 140 4648

Key takeaways

  • What it is: a Section 8 order under the Children Act 1989 that stops a named action about a child without the court’s permission.
  • Common uses: prevent removal from England & Wales, keep the same school, prevent a change of surname, or stop removal from your care.
  • How to apply: use a C100 form (add a C2 if you don’t have parental responsibility, and a C1A if you’re raising harm or risk).
  • Strengthen your case: add a clear position statement so the judge can follow your argument quickly.
  • Urgent cases: you can ask for a without-notice (ex-parte) hearing where there’s a real, immediate risk. You’ll need a witness statement, and the MIAM requirement is usually exempt.
  • Both sides: we also help if a PSO has been made against you, or you want to oppose, vary or discharge one.
  • The test: the child’s welfare is the court’s paramount concern, assessed against the statutory welfare checklist.

Watch the 1–2 minute explainers

What is a Prohibited Steps Order?
1–2 min • Introduction
Obtaining an Urgent Prohibited Steps Order
1–2 min • Urgent cases
Tip: include a position statement to make the hearing easier.

What is a Prohibited Steps Order?

  • Tells a parent or person with care what they must not do regarding a child.
  • Made under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989.
  • Must be clear and specific; vague wording is hard to enforce.
  • Can be made against a parent or, in some cases, another person.
  • The court’s first concern is always the child’s best interests.

When is a PSO used?

  • Preventing removal from a specific parent’s care.
  • Stopping travel abroad or removal from England & Wales.
  • Keeping a child at their current school.
  • Preventing a change to the child’s surname.
  • Stopping contact with a named person the court considers a risk.
  • Preventing a relocation within the UK that would disrupt arrangements.

PSO vs Specific Issue Order vs Child Arrangements Order

All three are Section 8 orders and the court applies the same welfare test, they simply answer different questions.

OrderWhat it doesExample
Prohibited Steps OrderStops someone taking a specific action.Stop a child being taken abroad or moved schools.
Specific Issue OrderAsks the court to decide a particular question.Which school a child attends, or a medical decision.
Child Arrangements OrderDecides who a child lives with and spends time with.Living and contact arrangements after separation.

Urgent PSO (without-notice)

Used where there’s a real risk of immediate harm or a major imminent change, for example a child about to be taken abroad.

  1. 1Evidence the urgency. Gather dates, tickets, messages, school letters, a police reference; anything showing the risk is real and immediate.
  2. 2File the C100 (and a C2 if you need permission to apply). Mark it “without-notice” and give your reasons.
  3. 3Prepare a witness statement. A factual timeline setting out the risk and your evidence.
  4. 4Attend the hearing. If granted, expect a short hearing without the other party present, followed by a “return” hearing where they can respond.
A without-notice order is temporary. The court will list a return hearing so the other parent can put their side before any longer-term order is made.

How to apply for a Prohibited Steps Order

  1. 1Consider mediation (MIAM). Usually required first, but urgent, without-notice and risk-of-harm cases are normally exempt from a MIAM. Tick the exemption box on the C100.
  2. 2Complete Form C100. Add a C2 if you don’t have parental responsibility, and a C1A if you’re alleging harm. See our C100 form guide.
  3. 3Pay the court fee. The C100 fee is £263 (correct as of June 2026). Fee remission may be available via form EX160 if you’re on a low income or certain benefits, see family court fees.
  4. 4Write a position statement (1 to 3 pages, clear and factual). For urgent applications, add a witness statement setting out the timeline, risk and evidence.
  5. 5File and serve. The court will direct on service (or, for a without-notice application, hear it before the other party is told).
  6. 6First hearing. The court gives directions and may make interim orders.
We can help you draft your C100, C2, C1A, position statement and witness statement, and attend court with you as a McKenzie Friend.

Opposing a PSO, or one made against you

If a Prohibited Steps Order application has been made against you, or one has already been granted, you have the right to respond, and we can help you do it well.

  • Without-notice order against you: it is temporary. The court lists a return hearing, which is your chance to put your side before any longer-term order is made.
  • Respond on the facts: prepare a clear, factual statement and position statement answering the allegations and explaining why the order isn’t needed or should be narrower.
  • Vary or discharge: if an order is already in place, you can apply to the court to change or end it. Parents can’t simply agree to set it aside, only the court can.
  • Both sides are heard: the court weighs the evidence from each parent and decides on the child’s welfare.
We help respondents prepare their response, statement and evidence, and support you at the hearing as a McKenzie Friend.

How long does a PSO last?

  • The court sets the duration based on the child’s best interests; weeks, months, or longer.
  • It often runs until a set review date or a defined event, and commonly up to a child’s 16th birthday.
  • A PSO cannot remain in force after the child turns 18.
  • Only the court can vary or discharge it; parents can’t simply agree to set it aside. Either party can apply to change it.

What if someone breaches a PSO?

  • Breaching a PSO can be treated as contempt of court.
  • The other party can apply to the court to enforce the order.
  • The court must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that it was breached without reasonable excuse.
  • Penalties can include unpaid work, a fine, or, in rare serious cases, imprisonment.
  • If a child has been or may be removed, act fast, see child abduction.

What does a Prohibited Steps Order cost?

  • Court fee: £263 for the C100 (June 2026), unless you qualify for fee remission.
  • MIAM: around £120 per person if a MIAM is required (urgent cases are usually exempt).
  • Legal support: solicitors typically charge by the hour and costs can run into the thousands. As McKenzie Friends, we offer affordable, transparent fees for document drafting and court support, a fraction of typical solicitor costs.
Discuss your case, free consultation

How Family Law Decisions can help

  • 18+ years’ experience supporting parents as McKenzie Friends across England & Wales.
  • Drafting your C100, C2, C1A, position statement and witness statement.
  • Guidance on urgent, without-notice applications and what evidence the court expects.
  • Responding to or opposing a PSO application, including at a return hearing, and applying to vary or discharge an order.
  • Attending court with you as your McKenzie Friend.
  • Affordable fixed fees and a free initial consultation.
Book a free consultation Call 0800 140 4648

Prohibited Steps Order FAQs

A PSO usually controls the actions of someone with parental responsibility, but the court can also restrict the actions of others where needed to protect the child. If you don’t have parental responsibility yourself, you may need the court’s permission to apply (a C2 form).

Where there’s a genuine, immediate risk, a without-notice application can be heard very quickly, sometimes the same or next day. A standard application typically takes around six to eight weeks to a first hearing.

Yes. You can argue against the application at the hearing, file your own statement and evidence, and ask the court to refuse it. If an order is already in place, you can apply to vary or discharge it. The court hears both sides and decides on the child’s welfare.

A without-notice order is temporary. The court will list a return hearing, which is your chance to respond. Prepare a clear statement answering the allegations and setting out your case. We can help you draft it and support you at the hearing.

The child’s wishes and feelings are part of the welfare checklist and carry more weight as the child gets older, but they aren’t decisive. The court’s paramount concern is the child’s overall welfare.

The court may refuse where there’s no real risk, where the wording is too vague to enforce, where another order is more appropriate, or where making the order wouldn’t be in the child’s best interests.

Usually yes, but urgent and without-notice applications, and cases involving risk of harm, are normally exempt. You claim the exemption on the C100, and the court checks it at the first hearing.

The court fee is £263 (June 2026), with a possible MIAM cost of about £120 per person if required. Fee remission may be available. Our McKenzie Friend support is charged at affordable fixed fees rather than solicitor hourly rates.

The court decides, based on the child’s best interests. It often lasts until a set event or review date and commonly up to age 16; it can never continue past the child’s 18th birthday.

Breach can amount to contempt of court. You can apply to enforce it; the court must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of a breach without reasonable excuse. Penalties range from unpaid work or a fine to, rarely, imprisonment.

Yes. Preventing removal from England & Wales is one of the most common uses. If removal is imminent, a without-notice PSO can be sought urgently. See also child abduction.

A PSO stops someone doing something; a Specific Issue Order asks the court to decide a question (such as which school or a medical issue). The same welfare test applies to both.

You don’t have to instruct a solicitor. As experienced McKenzie Friends we can help you prepare your forms and statements and support you in court, usually at a much lower cost. Book a free consultation to discuss your case.

Family Law Decisions provides McKenzie Friend and paralegal support and document assistance in England & Wales. We are not solicitors, and this page is general information about the law, not legal advice.

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