NAI

Non-Accidental Injury

NCB

National Children's Bureau

NYAS

National Youth Advocacy Service

National Children's Bureau

NCB is a charitable organisation that acts as an umbrella body for organisations working with children and young people in England & Northern Ireland. It publishes children studies and has a Young NCB Network for under 18s to speak out on issues which are important to them e.g. bullying, drugs and relationships.

National Children's Bureau

National Youth Advocacy Service

NYAS is a charity working with children and young people to provide advice, information and an advocacy service in England and Wales.

http://www.nyas.net/

Neglect

(Also see Chronic Neglect)

This is the failure to act on the part of a person over 16 in order to protect a child from physical or emotional harm. Obvious forms might include a failure to seek medical attention for a child that needs it. Less obviously neglect might include failure to see to a child's personal hygiene or to provide a child with affection.

Neglecting a child is enough to establish the threshold criteria in public law family cases and leaves the carer open to criminal charges under the Children and Young Person's Act 1933.

Next Friend

See Litigation Friend

No Order Principle

Where a court is considering whether or not to make orders in public and private family law cases under the Children Act 1989 with respect to a child, it shall not make the order unless it considers that doing so would be better for the child than making no order at all. Referred also as the ‘non - intervention principle'. 

Section 1(5) Children Act 1989

Non Molestation Order

Under Section 42 of the Family Law Act 1996 the court has the power to prohibit a person ("the respondent") from molesting another person who is associated with the respondent and/or to prohibit the respondent from molesting a relevant child

Molesting does not only mean physical harm: it can also mean pestering or annoying someone deliberately, as well as threatening or harassing them.

Non Mol

See: Non Molestation Order

Nullity

Application to the Court for a declaration that a marriage be declared 'void' or be annulled i.e. declared never to have existed or to have subsisted until the Court dissolved it. Sections 11 and 12 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 set out the grounds for nullity.

Occupation Order

Made under section 41 the Family Law Act 1996 this an order which decides who should live in a home after there has been violence or harassment.

For example, the court can order a person to leave the home or only live in a particular part of the home, allow someone back into the home, or exclude a person from a specific area around the home.  

Official Solicitor

A government agency which represents children or adults who have a legal disability in the County, High Courts and Court of Protection.  A person has a legal disability if they lack mental capacity and cannot properly manage their own affairs, are unable to represent themselves and no other suitable person or agency is able and willing to act. The Official Solicitor usually becomes formally involved when appointed by the Court, and he may act as his own solicitor, or instruct a private firm of solicitors to act for him.

See:  http://www.officialsolicitor.gov.uk/os/offsol.htm

Order

A command given by a court either orally or in writing.

Ordinary Residence

The place where a child ordinarily resides (disregarding any period the child may live in a school or other institution, in accordance with the requirements of a supervision order under this act or an order under section 63 (1) of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000; or while he is being provided with accommodation by or on behalf of a local authority).  Section 105(6) of the Children Act 1989.

Outcome

The consequence of a hearing or the impact on a child of intervention or assessment.