How to fill in a C100 form

The C100 is the form you use to ask the family court to make a decision about a child. Most parents reach for it when arrangements have broken down and they cannot agree where a child lives, who the child spends time with, or a single specific decision such as schooling.

It looks long because it covers every kind of application at once. In practice, most of it will not apply to you. What follows walks through the parts that usually do.

Before you start

Three things save a lot of time if you sort them first.

1. 1

   Attend a MIAM, or check whether you are exempt

   A Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting is a short meeting with an accredited mediator about whether mediation could work. The mediator signs your form. Exemptions exist, including evidenced domestic abuse and urgency, and you must state which one you rely on.

2. 2

   Gather names, dates and addresses

   Full legal names and dates of birth for every child, the other parent and anyone else with parental responsibility, plus current addresses. Guessing here creates delay later.

3. 3

   Decide exactly what you are asking the court to do

   Write it in one sentence before you open the form. 'I am asking the court to decide how much time my son spends with me during term time.' Vagueness at this stage tends to widen the case.

Choosing the order you are applying for

The form asks which type of order you want. In everyday terms:

• Child Arrangements Order — who the child lives with and who they spend time with.
• Prohibited Steps Order — stopping the other parent from doing something, such as moving the child abroad or changing their school.
• Specific Issue Order — asking the court to settle one decision, such as which school the child attends or whether they can travel.

You can apply for more than one. Only tick what you genuinely need. Each extra request is something the court, and the other parent, will respond to.

The children section

List every child the application relates to, with full name, date of birth and gender. If children live in different places, say so. Use the names on their birth certificates, not nicknames, and keep the spelling consistent with anything else you file.

Urgency and without notice applications

There is a section asking whether you want the application heard urgently, or without telling the other parent first. This is for genuine risk, such as a child about to be removed from the country. Courts take without notice applications seriously and expect a clear, factual reason. If it is not urgent, saying it is tends to damage your credibility for the rest of the case.

Safeguarding and the C1A

The C100 asks whether you have any concerns about the child suffering harm, including domestic abuse, drug or alcohol misuse, or neglect. If you tick yes, you must also complete a C1A supplemental form, which is where you set out what happened.

Writing the factual sections

Where the form gives you space to explain, the instinct is to tell the whole story. Resist it. Judges read hundreds of these. What helps you is:

• Dates and specifics rather than adjectives. 'Contact stopped on 4 March' beats 'contact has been impossible'.
• Focus on the child's experience, not the relationship between the adults.
• Short paragraphs, in chronological order.
• No commentary on the other parent's character. Set out what happened and let the facts carry it.

A useful test

Read each sentence and ask: does this help a judge decide what is best for my child? If it only makes you feel better to have written it, take it out and put it in a private journal instead.

Submitting the form

1. 1

   Check the fee

   Court fees change. Confirm the current amount on GOV.UK and apply for Help with Fees first if your income or savings qualify.

2. 2

   Copies

   The court needs a copy for itself and one for each respondent. Submit online where available, otherwise post or take them to the court.

3. 3

   Keep your own set

   Save a complete copy of everything you send, with the date you sent it. You will need it again.

What happens next

The court issues your application, Cafcass carries out initial safeguarding checks including police and local authority enquiries, and you are given a first hearing, usually a FHDRA. That hearing is far less formal than most parents expect.