Northern Ireland Holiday Contact Schedules: A Parent's Guide

In short: Northern Ireland does not impose a standard holiday schedule. Parents can agree one themselves, and a contact order can specify holiday arrangements if agreement is not possible. The best plan says exactly when special arrangements start and end, rather than leaving everyone to interpret a general promise to “share holidays fairly.”

This guide is educational, not legal advice.

Start with the ordinary arrangement

List the regular contact or residence pattern first. Then say which occasions override it. This prevents a common source of conflict: one parent treating a school holiday as a continuation of the normal weekend rotation while the other treats it as a separate block.

Useful occasions to address include Christmas and New Year, Easter, half-term breaks, summer holidays, the child's birthday, parents' birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, religious observances, and school inset days.

Make the schedule specific

For every special period, record:

• the start and end time, not just the date
• handover location and transport responsibility
• whether the arrangement alternates by year
• whether time is divided or kept in one block
• the deadline for choosing summer-holiday dates
• how overseas travel and missed time are handled.

Clarity is more useful than trying to make every occasion mathematically identical. A plan can also include a review date so it can adapt as school routines and the child's wishes change.

If parents cannot agree

nidirect says separated parents often agree arrangements themselves and can use mediation before applying to court. Where there is no agreement, a court can make a contact order under Article 8 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. The order can address practical contact terms, including holiday contact, where that is necessary for the child's welfare.

Do not use a holiday dispute to disregard an existing order. If a change is needed, raise it early and keep a written record of what was proposed and agreed.

Put dates on a calendar

The holiday schedule generator can help turn a written agreement into a visible calendar. Use it as a planning aid, then compare the dates against the actual court order or final agreement.

Official Northern Ireland resources

• nidirect: Attending Family Courts
• Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995
• nidirect: Family Mediation

Related Northern Ireland pages

• Northern Ireland parenting plans guide
• Northern Ireland mediation guide
• Northern Ireland travel guide