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C79 form: apply to enforce a child arrangements order

Form C79 applies for an enforcement order or compensation when a child arrangements order is not being followed. It is also used to act on a breach of, revoke or amend an existing enforcement order.

Fill in the C79 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the C79

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 C79 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 C79. 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 C79 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
Form C79: Apply to the court to enforce a child arrangements order
Edition
06.26 (14 pages). A Welsh version is also published.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Fee
£270 for an enforcement order or compensation for financial loss.Source: Children: Applications under the Children Act 1989 (fees order 2.1) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Fee for breach or changes
£119 to revoke, amend, extend or act on breach of an existing enforcement order.Source: Children: Applications under the Children Act 1989 (fee 2.1t) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Where it goes
Your child's local family court.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
First hearing
The court aims to list it within 20 working days of issue, before the same judge if possible.Source: PD12B paras 21.2-21.3 (external source, opens in a new tab)
Copies
Copies for each respondent and one for Cafcass or Cafcass Cymru.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the C79

A person with whom the child lives or is to spend time under the order, or someone subject to a condition in it. A person subject to an enforcement order can also use it to ask for that order to be revoked or amended.

When it is used

After a child arrangements order has been made and someone has not complied with it.

Before you start

  • A copy of the child arrangements order, or its case number.
  • Dates and details of when the order was not followed, and when you last had contact.
  • Receipts or other evidence of any money lost, if you are claiming compensation.
  • A copy of any existing enforcement order, if you are applying about one.
  • Details of the respondents and anyone else who should be notified. Use form C8 for any details that must stay private.

How to fill in the C79

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 and date of the child arrangements order, and attach a copy where available.

Section 2: what you are applying for

You tick one or more options. These include an enforcement order, compensation for financial loss and action on a breach. You can also ask to revoke or amend an enforcement order, or change its unpaid work.

Sections 3 to 6: the people

You give your details, the children's details, the respondents and others to be notified. If your contact details must stay private, leave them blank and complete form C8.

Section 7: why you are applying

Answer only the part that matches your application. For enforcement, say how the arrangements broke down and when. For compensation, give the amount and attach evidence. For changes, explain what has changed.

Sections 8 to 10: other cases, statement of truth and attending court

You list current cases about the children, sign a statement of truth, and ask for any interpreter or disability support.

Prepare your C79 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

Where the application is issued more than three months after the order, the court must order fresh Cafcass safeguarding checks. At the hearing the court looks at whether the order was broken, the reasons, and the child's wishes and welfare. GOV.UK says the court might order 40 to 200 hours of unpaid work, or compensation for money lost. It may also decide not to enforce if there was a good reason.

Common mistakes

  • Applying to enforce an order made before 8 December 2008 without first attaching a warning notice using form C78.
  • Paying the £119 breach fee before any enforcement order exists. EX50 says enforcement is applied for first at £270.
  • Claiming compensation without attaching receipts or other evidence of the loss.
  • Using C79 to change the arrangements themselves. GOV.UK treats asking the court to change ('vary') an order as a separate step.

Common questions

How much does it cost to enforce a child arrangements order?

£270 for an enforcement order or compensation. Later applications about breach or changes to an enforcement order cost £119. Help with fees may be available.

What can the court do if the order is broken?

Options include a parenting programme or mediation, varying the order, or an enforcement order with unpaid work. The court can also order financial compensation, a fine or committal.

How long does a C79 take to get to court?

The rules say the court should list it within 20 working days of issue. In pilot courts it may depend on whether a Child Impact Report is needed.

Will the court always enforce the order?

No. GOV.UK says the court might not enforce it if there was a good reason for not following it. It might also decide something different is better for the children.

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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