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C(PRA1) form: agree that a father has parental responsibility

Form C(PRA1) is a parental responsibility agreement between a child's mother and father. When it is recorded, the father has parental responsibility for the child in addition to the mother.

Fill in the C(PRA1) form with Wren

How Wren helps with the C(PRA1)

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 C(PRA1) 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 C(PRA1). 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
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 C(PRA1) 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
Ask the court to witness your parental responsibility agreement: Form C(PRA1)
Edition
02.24 (2 pages: the agreement and its notes). A bilingual Welsh and English version is also published.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
The law
Children Act 1989, section 4(1)(b): the mother and father agree that the father shall have parental responsibility.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
One child per form
Put the name of one child only; use a separate form for each childSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who witnesses it
A justice of the peace, a justices' clerk, an assistant to a justices' clerk or an authorised court official. Not a solicitor.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
When it takes effect
Only once it has been received and recorded at The Central Family CourtSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
When it ends
By a court order, or when the child reaches 18Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Copies
Enough copies for each person who signed, sent with the original and copies of the original certificatesSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the C(PRA1)

A child's mother and father, where the father does not already have parental responsibility, for example because they were not married or in a civil partnership and did not register the birth together.

When it is used

At any time while the child is under 18, if the mother agrees. If she does not, the father can apply to the court for a parental responsibility order on form C1 instead.

Before you start

  • The child's full birth certificate: the mother takes it to court to prove she is the mother.
  • Photo identification with a signature for each of you, such as a photocard, official pass or passport.
  • The child's full name, gender, date of birth and the date of their 18th birthday.
  • Both of your full names and addresses.

How to fill in the C(PRA1)

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.

The child

You give the child's full name, gender, date of birth and the date of their 18th birthday.

The mother and the father

You each give your name and address. Then stop: the declaration and signatures are done at court.

Signing in front of a witness

Take the unsigned form to a local office of the family court or The Central Family Court. A justice of the peace, a justices' clerk, an assistant to a justices' clerk or a court official authorised by the judge to administer oaths watches each of you sign and completes the certificate of witness. A solicitor cannot witness your signature.

Sending it to be recorded

Make copies for each person who signed and send them with the original form, and copies of the original certificates, to The Central Family Court at the address in the notes.

Prepare your C(PRA1) 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 Central Family Court records the agreement and keeps the original form. It stamps the copies with the court's seal and sends them back. Keep your copy in a safe place: it is the record that you have parental responsibility.

Common mistakes

  • Signing the agreement before you get to court. The notes say do not sign it: you sign in front of the witness.
  • Putting more than one child on a form. Each child needs a separate agreement.
  • Asking a solicitor to witness it. The notes say a solicitor cannot witness your signature.
  • Taking the birth certificate as proof of identity. It is not accepted; you need photo identification with a signature.
  • Thinking the agreement works as soon as it is signed. It takes effect only once it is received and recorded at The Central Family Court.

Common questions

Does a father automatically have parental responsibility?

Not always. GOV.UK says a father usually has it if he was married to or in a civil partnership with the mother when the child was born, or if he registered the birth jointly with her. Otherwise he can get it by agreement or a court order.

What if the mother will not agree?

The father can apply to the court for a parental responsibility order on form C1. GOV.UK gives the fee as £270. He usually has to attend a MIAM first and send form FM1 with the application.

Is there a fee for a parental responsibility agreement?

Neither the form nor its GOV.UK page mentions a fee.

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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