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You’ll need to fill out several forms, including one saying that everything you say is true. Some Personal Orders also need a form filled in by a medical professional.
You’ll need to file these forms out at the court closest to where the person who the application is for lives.
If a decision needs to be made urgently, the court can make an Interim Order which can last up to 6 months. This can happen while you’re waiting for the court to approve an application.
If you think you need urgent help, you may want to see a lawyer about making an urgent application for you.
After the Family Court receives an application for an Order, it appoints a specialist lawyer who will meet with the person and the applicant. The lawyer will tell the judge why the application has been made and what should happen next. Then it's up to the judge to decide what to do:
hold a short hearing
ask for more medical evidence
make the Order.
How a Personal Order ends
A Personal Order will either have a specific time that it ends on or it will end when all tasks set in the Order have been done, or 12 months after the Order was made, whichever comes first.
The court can set a date to review the Order. The people involved in the Order can ask for a review at any time.