Jargon buster

Jargon	What this really means
Child support	Money paid by the parent that the children do not live with to the parent they do live with to help cover the children's living expenses.
Civil partners	Same-sex couples that have entered into a civil partnership.
Cohabitants	Couples that have been living together and are neither married, nor civil partners. It includes both male/female and same sex couples.
Contact	When and where a child can see a parent they don't live with or another adult (such as a grandparent), or have contact with them in other ways, such as phone calls, letters, presents.
Court order	An official decision by a court. In certain circumstances, courts can impose penalties if court orders are disobeyed. This could be community service, paying compensation, or even imprisonment.
Guardian	A guardian is a person who is appointed to take care of a child if the parent dies.
Inheritance	Property received by someone on the death of someone else.
Intestate	Dying without making a will.
Life interest	Limited rights for your lifetime over the property of someone who has died, such as the right to live in a house for the rest of your life, or the right to income from an investment for your lifetime.
Parental responsibility	All the rights and duties that go with being a parent. See our guide on parental responsibility for more information
Residence	Who a child lives with
Trust	Money or property looked after day-to-day by a responsible person or organisation (a ‘trustee’) on behalf of another person or group of people.
Will	A document, which says what is to happen to your money and property when you die and which is completed with certain formalities.