C3 form: ask the court to have a child found and handed over
Form C3 applies for an order under section 34 of the Family Law Act 1986. It asks the court to let a court officer or police constable take charge of a child and hand them over.
How Wren helps with the C3
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 C3 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 C3. 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 C3 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
- Application for an order authorising search for taking charge of and delivery of a child: Form C3
- Edition
- 09.99 (2 pages). A bilingual Welsh and English version is also published.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- The law
- Family Law Act 1986, section 34. The order can include power to enter and search premises and to use necessary force.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Which court
- The court that made the order which has not been obeyed.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Notice period
- The rules treat this as emergency proceedings, with a minimum of 1 day's service before the hearing.Source: PD12C para 2.1 table row 5 (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Without notice
- The form asks whether you are applying without notice to the other side, and why.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the C3
A person who should have received a child under a court order, where the child has not been handed over as the order requires.
When it is used
After an order has been made, typically a child arrangements order, and has not been obeyed. The application goes to the court that made the original order.
Before you start
- A copy or the details of the order that is being disobeyed.
- The name, address and phone number of the person you believe has the child.
- Details that identify the child. The form says you may enclose a recent, dated photograph.
- The best information you have about where the child is now.
How to fill in the C3
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.
Section 1: about you
You give your name, address, phone number, date of birth and relationship to each child. You also give your solicitor's details if you have one.
Section 2: the children
For each child you give their name, date of birth and sex. You name the person you believe has actual control of the child and give details that help identify the child.
Section 3: the grounds
You say whether you are applying without notice and why, which order is being disobeyed, and the best information about where the child is. You then sign and date the form.
Prepare your C3 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 must be satisfied the child has not been handed over as the order requires. It may then authorise a court officer or a constable to take charge of the child. That can include entering and searching premises. If you think a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
Common mistakes
- Using C3 when you do not know where the child is. Form C4 asks the court to order someone to disclose that information.
- Not giving details of the order that has been broken, such as the court and date.
- Leaving out identifying details, which the officer may need to find the child.
Common questions
What is the difference between form C3 and form C4?
C3 asks for an order to take charge of and hand over a child under an existing order. C4 asks the court to order someone to tell it where a child is.
Who carries out a C3 order?
Section 34 of the Family Law Act 1986 says the court may authorise an officer of the court or a police constable.
Can a C3 application be made without telling the other person?
The form asks whether the application is made without notice and, if so, why. The court decides how to deal with it.
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.