Children and money

FC600 form: contempt application in the family court

Form FC600 is the contempt application. It asks the court to decide whether someone, called the defendant, is in contempt of court, for example by breaking a court order or a promise (undertaking) given to the court.

Fill in the FC600 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the FC600

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 FC600 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 FC600. 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 FC600 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.

Official title: Ask the court to consider an allegation of contempt of court: Form FC600
Edition: 07.26 (11 pages). GOV.UK updated the fee on page 11 on 20 July 2026.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Fee: The form prints a fee of £195, and no fee where the application follows a breach of a non-molestation or occupation order. Help with fees may be available.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Evidence: The application must be supported by written evidence by affidavit or affirmation, unless the court directs otherwise.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Serving it: The application and evidence must be served on the defendant personally, unless the court directs otherwise or their legal representative on the record accepts service.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Standard of proof: The court will only find contempt if it is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Permission: Needed only for interference with the administration of justice outside existing proceedings, or for an alleged false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the FC600

The person making the allegation, called the claimant, or their legal representative. The rules for it are in Part 37 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010.

When it is used

When someone is said to have broken an order or undertaking, or otherwise acted in contempt of court. Contempt can lead to a fine, confiscation of assets or imprisonment, so it is a serious step. Many breaches of a child arrangements order are dealt with by an enforcement application on form C79 instead.

Before you start

The order or undertaking you say was broken, with its date and the court that made it.
The case number of the existing proceedings, if there are any.
Proof of when the order was personally served, or any order saying personal service was not needed.
Whether the order has a penal notice on the front.
The defendant's name and address, unless it must be kept confidential using form C8.
Your affidavit or affirmation setting out the evidence, which is a separate document.

How to fill in the FC600

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.

Page 1: the case and you

You give the court, the case number, the claimant's and defendant's names, and say whether you are the claimant or their legal representative.

Question 3: the defendant and other parties

You give the defendant's name and address, and any other party to be served. If someone's contact details must be kept confidential, leave them blank and use form C8.

Questions 4 and 5: evidence and permission

You attach your written evidence and say whether you need permission to apply. If you do, you give brief reasons.

Page 4: the defendant's rights

This page tells the defendant what could happen and sets out their rights, including the right to a lawyer and to apply for legal aid. There is nothing to fill in.

Questions 6 to 13: the contempt alleged

You describe the kind of contempt, the order or undertaking, when the order was served and whether it had a penal notice. You end with a short, numbered summary of the facts in date order.

Statement of truth, contact details and fee

You sign a statement of truth, give an address for documents unless you use form C8, and say how you will pay the fee or why you are not paying it.

Prepare your FC600 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 gives directions for the hearing and decides the application. The defendant has the right to be legally represented and a reasonable opportunity to get legal representation and apply for legal aid, which may be available without any means test. Hearings are usually in public unless the court orders otherwise, and the court gives its findings in public. The court can strike out an application that discloses no reasonable ground or does not follow the rules.

Common mistakes

Not attaching the affidavit or affirmation that the rules require.
Not serving the application and evidence on the defendant personally, when the court has not directed otherwise.
Leaving out the date and exact terms of the order or undertaking said to be broken.
Writing a long story in question 13 instead of brief, numbered points in date order.
Including confidential contact details instead of using form C8.

Common questions

What can happen to someone found in contempt?

The rules say the court may impose a fine, imprisonment, confiscation of assets or other punishment permitted under the law. Imprisonment can be immediate or suspended.

Is contempt the only way to deal with a broken child arrangements order?

No. Many breaches of a child arrangements order are dealt with by applying to enforce the order on form C79. Which route fits depends on the case; a solicitor or advice service can explain.

Does the person accused get legal aid?

The form tells the defendant they are entitled to a reasonable opportunity to get legal representation and to apply for legal aid, which may be available without any means test.

Is there a fee for a contempt application?

The 07.26 form prints a fee of £195. There is no fee where the application follows a breach of a non-molestation or occupation order. Help with fees may be available.

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 7 October 2026. How we check our pages.