Protective Measures
Legal Protection, When You Need It Most
When relationships break down, satety and stability come first. In some situations, protective court orders are necessary to provide immediate reassurance, a clear line that cannot be crossed without consequence.
Protective measures are not about escalating conflict. They are about protection, clarity, and ensuring that you - and, where relevant, your children - feel secure while wider issues are addressed, rather than to determine any final outcome.
Two of the most common protective orders are non-molestation orders and occupation orders.
Non-Molestation Orders
A non-molestation order is designed to protect you trom unwanted behaviour. It can prevent an ex-partner from harassing, threatening, contacting, or approaching you, whether in person, online, or through third parties.
These orders are often sought where there has been intimidation, harassment, controlling behaviour, or fear of harm. They can be tailored to your circumstances and, where necessary, put in place quickly. Breach of a non-molestation order is a criminal offence. That legal weight is often what provides immediate reassurance and a clear line that cannot be crossed.
Occupation Orders
An occupation order regulates who can live in, or return to, the family home. In some cases, it can exclude one person from the property altogether. In others, it can define how a property is shared temporarily.
These orders are particularly sensitive, as they affect housing, day-to-day life, and often children's arrangements. The Court will consider factors such as safety, housing needs, financial circumstances, and the impact on everyone involved.
Occupation orders are usually time-limited and are intended to create stability while wider issues are addressed, not to determine the final outcome.
