C7 form: respond to a court application about a child
Form C7, called the Acknowledgement, is the form a respondent returns after being served with an application about a child. It tells the court whether you oppose the application and gives your contact and support details.
How Wren helps with the C7
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 C7 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 C7. 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
- An hour or two
- With Wren
- 15 to 30 minutes
- Solicitor for this form
- £250 to £4901 to 2 hours
A solicitor’s time for the C7 can run to £490. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes 15 to 30 minutes rather than an hour or two.
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
- Respond to a court application about a child: Form C7
- Edition
- 09.26 (7 pages). A Welsh version is also published.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Time limit
- Send it to the court within 14 days of receiving the application.Source: FPR 12.32 (external source, opens in a new tab); PD12B para 8.11 (external source, opens in a new tab)
- How to send it
- By post or to the court's published email address. If your letter gives online dashboard details, you can respond online instead.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Copies
- The form says to make copies for the applicant and each other party named in the application.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Forms that may go with it
- Form C1A if you raise or respond to harm. Form C8 to keep your address private.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- What happens to it
- The court sends copies to Cafcass, or Cafcass Cymru, and to the applicant.Source: PD12B paras 8.12, 22.2B (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the C7
A person named as a respondent in a children application, for example on form C100, C1, C78 or C79. The court sends a blank C7 with the papers it serves on you.
When it is used
Straight after you receive the application, and before the first hearing. The rules say you must send it within 14 days.
Before you start
- The papers the court served on you, including the case number, the children's names and the hearing date.
- The date you received the application. The form asks for it.
- Any C1A the applicant sent, if you want to comment on it.
- Your solicitor's details, if you have one. If not, the form says to write None.
- Whether you need an interpreter, or support for a disability, at court.
How to fill in the C7
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.
Questions 1 to 3: about you and where to send papers
You give your name, date of birth, address and contact details, and your solicitor if you have one. Question 3 asks where letters should go. If your address must stay private, leave these blank and complete form C8.
Questions 4 and 5: the application
You give the date you received the application and say whether you oppose it. The form is an acknowledgement. Your full account usually comes later if the court asks for statements.
Question 6: the applicant's C1A
This asks whether you received a C1A from the applicant and whether you want to comment on it. If you answer yes to both parts, the form says you must also complete a C1A.
Question 7: risk of harm
This asks whether you believe the children have suffered, or are at risk of, harm from domestic abuse, violence, abduction or other behaviour. If you answer yes, you must also complete a C1A. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999.
Questions 8 to 10: your own application and attending court
You say whether you intend to apply to the court for an order. You can ask for an interpreter and for help with a disability. The form says to tell the court about all your needs, or the hearing may be adjourned.
Statement of truth
You sign to confirm the facts are true. False statements in a document with a statement of truth can lead to contempt of court proceedings.
Prepare your C7 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 sends your C7 and any C1A to Cafcass, or Cafcass Cymru, and to the applicant. Cafcass may contact you by phone before the first hearing, about safety matters only. The rules say every party must attend the first hearing and every other hearing. No evidence is filed on the application until after the first hearing.
Common mistakes
- Missing the 14-day time limit for returning the form.
- Writing a private address on the C7 instead of leaving it blank and using form C8.
- Answering yes to the harm question without completing a C1A.
- Not telling the court about interpreter or disability needs, which can lead to an adjourned hearing.
Common questions
How long do I have to return a C7?
The rules say within 14 days of receiving the application. The pilot courts use the same 14 days, and ask for it as soon as possible.
Do I have to go to the hearing?
Yes. The rules say every party must attend the first hearing and every other hearing. You can bring a McKenzie Friend for support.
Can I keep my address private from the applicant?
Yes. Leave the address questions blank and complete form C8. The court and Cafcass keep those details, and they are not shared unless the court orders it.
Should I go to a MIAM as the respondent?
You are not legally required to attend a MIAM before the application. The rules say respondents are strongly encouraged and expected to attend one.
Can I respond to allegations made about me?
Yes. You can use the response section of the applicant's C1A, or complete your own C1A and send it with the C7.
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 C7 (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 36Z: private law pilot (external source, opens in a new tab)
- FPR 2010 Part 29 (confidential contact details) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Pinned template C7 (09.26) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- PD12C (external source, opens in a new tab)