The court can make a consent order regarding a child, for example a residence order or a contact order. Before the court considers whether the wording of the draft order is acceptable, it has to consider whether it is better for the child to make an order than to make no order at all. Only if the court decides that an order is appropriate will it go on to decide if the wording of the draft order is suitable. This is the ‘no order principle’. It applies in children matters, not in financial matters.