C4 form: ask the court to find out where a child is
Form C4 applies for an order under section 33 of the Family Law Act 1986. It asks the court to order a named person to tell the court where a child is or who the child is with.
How Wren helps with the C4
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 C4 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 C4. 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 C4 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
- Form C4: Ask the court to order someone to give information about where a child is
- 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 33.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Who sees the information
- GOV.UK says it is revealed only to the court, which decides how it is used.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)
Who uses the C4
A party to proceedings about a child, where the court lacks enough information about where the child is and someone else may know.
When it is used
Within or alongside existing children proceedings, often after an order when a child cannot be found.
Before you start
- The name and contact details of each person you think may know where the child is.
- Your reasons for believing they have that information.
- Details that identify the child. The form says you may enclose a recent, dated photograph.
- The case number of the existing proceedings, if there is one.
How to fill in the C4
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.
Sections 1 and 2: you and the children
You give your details and your solicitor's, if any. For each child you give name, date of birth and sex, the person believed to have control of the child, and identifying details.
Section 3: the order you want
You name the people the court should order to disclose information. You can suggest when and how they should tell the court.
Section 4: the grounds
You explain why the court does not have adequate information about where the child is, and why the named people may know. You then sign and date the form.
Prepare your C4 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
If the court makes the order, the named person must tell the court what they know. Section 33 says they cannot refuse because the answer might incriminate them or their spouse or civil partner. Their statement cannot be used against them in most criminal proceedings. If you think a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
Common mistakes
- Using C4 when you know where the child is and want them handed over. Form C3 covers that.
- Not explaining why the named person is likely to know where the child is.
Common questions
Will I be told where the child is?
GOV.UK says the information is revealed only to the court, which decides how it will be used.
Can someone refuse to answer a C4 order because it might incriminate them?
No. Section 33 says that is not an excuse. What they say cannot be used against them for an offence other than perjury.
What is the difference between form C4 and form C3?
C4 asks for information about where a child is. C3 asks for a court officer or the police to take charge of a child and hand them over under an order.
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.