C100 form: apply to court about arrangements for a child
Form C100 asks the family court for a child arrangements, prohibited steps or specific issue order under the Children Act 1989. The person asking the court to decide fills it in, and it can also change or end those orders.
Fill in the C100 form with Wren
How Wren helps with the C100
Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.
- Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the C100 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
- Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
- The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official C100. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
- What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.
Time and money
- On your own
- Several days
- With Wren
- A couple of hours
- Solicitor for this form
- £1,480 to £2,4706 to 10 hours
A solicitor’s time for the C100 can run to £2,470. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes a couple of hours rather than several days.
Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.
Key facts
- Official title
- Apply for a court order to make arrangements for a child or resolve a dispute about their upbringing: Form C100
- Edition
- 06.26 (51 pages on GOV.UK)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Fee
- £270 from 13 July 2026. You may be able to get help with fees.Source: Children: Applications under the Children Act 1989 (fees order 2.1) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Before you apply
- You must attend a MIAM or claim a valid exemption, and say which on the form.Source: PD12B Annex 2 paras 18, 21 (external source, opens in a new tab); PD12B para 8.3 (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Where it goes
- Apply online, or post it to your child's local family court. By post, GOV.UK says to send the original and 3 copies.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Who serves it
- In section 8 cases the court serves the application on the other side, not you.Source: FPR 12.8(2)-(3) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Forms that go with it
- Form C1A if you allege harm. Form C8 if you want to keep contact details private.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Other side's reply
- The respondent returns form C7 within 14 days of receiving the application.Source: PD12B para 8.11 (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the C100
Parents and others who cannot agree arrangements for a child, such as where the child lives or who they spend time with. A parent or someone with parental responsibility can usually apply, and some other people, such as other relatives, may need the court's permission first.
When it is used
It starts a new children case. You usually use it after attending a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM), unless an exemption applies. If a case is already open for the child, the C100 itself says to use form C2 instead.
Before you start
- Your MIAM certificate details from the mediator, or the evidence for any MIAM exemption you plan to claim, such as domestic abuse evidence.
- Full names and dates of birth for every child the application is about. All the children go on one form.
- Names, addresses and dates of birth for the other people in the case, and anyone else who must be told about it.
- Details of any past or current court cases about the children, including case numbers and copies of orders.
- Any parenting plan you have made before, because the rules say it should be attached.
- Your Help with Fees reference, if you have applied for help paying the fee.
How to fill in the C100
Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.
The order you want and concerns about harm
You tick which section 8 order you want and describe it briefly. You then answer five yes or no questions about risk of harm to the children. If you answer yes to any of them, the form says you must also complete form C1A and file it with the C100. If you or a child are in immediate danger, call 999.
Additional information questions (A1 to A8)
These short questions send you to later sections. They cover permission, urgent hearings, earlier cases, consent orders, cases with links abroad or to Scotland or Northern Ireland, capacity, and Welsh language. A yes answer means you must complete the matching section.
Section 1: the children
You list each child and the order you want for them. The form asks for details of every child. Gaps can delay the case because the court has to come back to you.
Sections 2 to 4: the MIAM
You confirm you attended a MIAM, or you claim an exemption in Section 3. Some exemptions, such as domestic abuse or recent mediation, need evidence sent with the form. The court checks exemptions and may send you to a MIAM if one was not validly claimed.
Section 5: why you are applying
You say whether you need the court's permission and give a short summary of why you are applying. The form asks for a summary, not a full statement. The rules also say not to add information the form does not ask for.
Section 6: urgent and without notice hearings
Only complete this if you ticked it earlier. The form says that in many cases the first hearing is within 2 months. A hearing without telling the other side happens only in exceptional cases, and you must give reasons.
Sections 7 to 10: other cases and attending court
You give details of other court cases about the children, links abroad and anything affecting someone's ability to take part. You can ask for an interpreter, Welsh language, disability support and special measures. Measures include a separate waiting room, a screen or joining by video link.
Sections 11 to 16: the people involved and the statement of truth
You give details about yourself, the respondents and others who should be told. If an address must stay private, leave it blank and use form C8. You then sign a statement of truth. False statements can lead to contempt of court proceedings.
Prepare your C100 with Wren Family
Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.
Get startedFree for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.
What happens after you send it
Court staff check the form is complete, then aim to send you a copy and the hearing notice within 1 working day of issue. The court serves the respondent with the papers and form C7. Cafcass, or Cafcass Cymru in Wales, makes safety checks and writes to the court before the first hearing. That hearing is usually in week 5 after issue, and at the latest week 6.
Common mistakes
- Answering yes to a harm question but not sending form C1A with the application.
- Claiming a MIAM exemption that needs evidence without attaching the evidence.
- Writing a confidential address on the C100 or an attached document instead of using form C8.
- Writing a long statement in Section 5 when the form asks only for a brief summary.
- Using a C100 when a case about the child is already open, where form C2 applies.
Common questions
How much does a C100 cost?
The fee is £270 from 13 July 2026. If you are on benefits or a low income, you may get help with fees. You apply online or on form EX160 with your application.
Do I need a MIAM before a C100?
Usually yes. You must attend a MIAM or claim a valid exemption, such as evidence of domestic abuse or urgency. No MIAM is needed if you are applying for a consent order.
How long does a C100 application take?
GOV.UK says it usually takes around 10 months to get a court order. The first hearing is usually listed in week 5 after issue, and at the latest week 6.
Will the other parent see my address?
The respondent gets a copy of the C100. If you leave your contact details blank and complete form C8, the court keeps them private unless it orders otherwise.
Is the process different in some courts?
Yes. Some family courts run a pilot until 31 March 2027. There, a Child Impact Report is prepared instead of the usual first hearing process.
Where these facts come from
These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.
- GOV.UK: Form C100 (external source, opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Apply for a court order (child arrangements) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: After you apply for a court order (external source, opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Family court fees (EX50) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Get help paying court fees (external source, opens in a new tab)
- FPR 2010 Part 12 (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Practice Direction 12B: Child Arrangements Programme (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Practice Direction 12C: Service (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Practice Direction 3A: MIAMs (external source, opens in a new tab)
- FPR 2010 Part 29 (confidential contact details) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Practice Direction 36Z: private law pilot (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Pinned template C100 (06.26) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- FPR Part 3 (external source, opens in a new tab)