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C78 form: add a warning notice to an older child arrangements order

Form C78 asks the court to attach a warning notice to a child arrangements order made before 8 December 2008. The notice explains what can happen if someone does not follow the order.

Fill in the C78 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the C78

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.

  1. Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the C78 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
  2. Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
  3. The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official C78. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
  4. 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 C78 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
Application for attachment of a warning notice to a child arrangements order: Form C78
Edition
06.26 (11 pages). A Welsh version is also published.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Which orders
Orders made before 8 December 2008. GOV.UK says orders made after that date already include a warning notice.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Without notice
The application is made without notice to the other side, and the court may deal with it without a hearing.Source: FPR 12.33 (external source, opens in a new tab)
Respondents
All parties to the proceedings in which the child arrangements order was made.Source: FPR 12.3(1) table (warning notice) (external source, opens in a new tab)
What to send
A copy of the order or the correct case number. The form says the court can only proceed with one of these.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the C78

A person with an older order, originally called a contact order, made before 8 December 2008. The rules list who may apply, such as the person the child lives with or a person named for contact.

When it is used

After the order, usually before any enforcement application. The form says enforcement or compensation cannot be sought for failures before the person was given the warning notice or told its terms.

Before you start

  • A copy of the original order, or at least its case number, court and date.
  • The name of the person who made the original application.
  • The children's names and dates of birth.
  • The respondents' details as they appear on the order.
  • Details of any current court cases about the children.

How to fill in the C78

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: the current order

You give the court, case number, original applicant, children's names and the date of the order. The form says to attach a copy where available.

Sections 2 to 4: you, the children and the respondents

You give your details, the children's details and the respondents' details as stated on the order. If your contact details must stay private, leave them blank and complete form C8.

Section 5: current court cases

You list any ongoing cases about the children. Use a separate sheet if there is more than one.

Sections 6 to 8: statement of truth, signature and attending court

You sign a statement of truth and the form. You can ask for an interpreter or disability support if a hearing is needed.

Prepare your C78 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 started

Free 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 may decide the application without a hearing. Once the notice is attached, the other person needs a copy or must be told its terms. After that, later failures to follow the order can be the subject of an enforcement application on form C79.

Common mistakes

  • Using C78 for an order made on or after 8 December 2008, which already carries a warning notice.
  • Sending the form without a copy of the order or its correct case number.
  • Expecting to enforce breaches that happened before the warning notice was given.

Common questions

Do I need a C78 before I can enforce my order?

Only for an order made before 8 December 2008. The form says enforcement cannot cover failures before the person had the warning notice.

Will there be a hearing for a C78?

The rules say the application is made without notice and the court may deal with it without a hearing.

What does a warning notice say?

The form explains it warns that breaking the order may lead to a fine or prison for contempt, an enforcement order or financial compensation.

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.

Last checked against its sources on . How we check our pages.

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