C13A form: apply to be a child's special guardian (supplement to C1)
Form C13A is a supplement you send with a C1 application when you ask the court for a special guardianship order. It covers your relationship to the child, the notice you gave the local authority, why you are applying and your plans for the child.
Fill in the C13A form with Wren
How Wren helps with the C13A
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 C13A 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 C13A. 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
- A day or more
- With Wren
- About an hour for most forms
- Solicitor for this form
- £740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours
A solicitor’s time for the C13A can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.
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
- Supplement for an application for a special guardianship order: Form C13A
- Edition
- 06.21 (3 pages, including a statement of truth)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Goes with
- An application for an order (form C1) and a mediation information form (FM1); C13A is a supporting statement, not an application on its ownSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Notice to the local authority
- Written notice of your intention to apply, at least three months before you apply, unless the court has given permission (Children Act 1989, section 14A(7))Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Fee
- GOV.UK gives the cost of applying as £270. You may be able to get help with fees.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- The law
- Children Act 1989, sections 14A to 14G (special guardianship)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the C13A
Someone applying for a special guardianship order for a child, for example a grandparent, other relative or foster carer. It is not used on its own: the main application is form C1.
When it is used
With the C1 application. GOV.UK says that three months before you apply you need to tell your local council in writing that you plan to make an application; section 14A(7) of the Children Act 1989 sets this out, unless the court has given you permission to apply.
Before you start
- Your completed or draft C1 application.
- The full names of the children the application is about.
- The name of the local authority and the date you notified it in writing.
- A brief, factual summary of why you are applying and your plans for the children.
How to fill in the C13A
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 children
You give each child's full name. The court fills in the children's numbers.
Your relationship to the children
The form lists the ways you may be entitled to apply, for example as a guardian, a relative or foster parent the child has lived with, or with the consent of the people it names. You state which applies, or that you are asking the court for permission to apply.
Notification to the local authority
You give the name of the local authority and the date you notified it of your intention to apply. If that was less than three months before you apply, the form asks whether an application to adopt the child has been made and where.
Reasons and plans
You set out briefly why you are applying, including any request for special guardianship support services, and your plans for the children, including contact. You may be asked for a full statement later.
Statement of truth
You sign and date the statement of truth on paper.
Prepare your C13A 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
The court deals with the C13A together with your C1 application. Under section 14A(8) of the Children Act 1989 the local authority investigates and prepares a report for the court about the proposed special guardianship.
Common mistakes
- Sending the C13A without a C1. It is a supplement, not an application on its own.
- Not telling the local authority in writing before applying.
- Writing a long statement in the reasons box. The form asks for brief details; you may be asked for a full statement later.
Common questions
What is a special guardianship order?
It appoints one or more people as a child's special guardian, giving them parental responsibility that they can exercise to the exclusion of others, while the child's legal relationship with their birth parents continues.
Do I need to tell the local authority first?
Yes. GOV.UK says that three months before you apply you need to tell your local council in writing that you plan to apply. Section 14A(7) of the Children Act 1989 requires this unless the court has given you permission to apply.
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.