What happens after you submit a C100

This page is for England and Wales only. If your child lives in Northern Ireland, the law, the forms and the courts are all different, so please read our page on family court in Northern Ireland instead.

You've sent off your C100. Now you're waiting, and you probably don't know what comes next. Here's the usual route, step by step, so nothing takes you by surprise.

One check before you read on

Some family courts now run a different model called Child Focused Courts, which used to be called Pathfinder courts. In those courts there's no FHDRA. Instead, Cafcass or Cafcass Cymru prepares a Child Impact Report before the first hearing, and the case moves through two main stages.

The pilot rules list courts in all of Wales, Dorset, Birmingham, West Yorkshire, much of the West Midlands, and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. In March 2026 the government announced a further eight areas from April 2026, including Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire and Merseyside, and Coventry and Warwickshire, with the rest of England to follow by 2029. Areas are being added all the time, so check with your court which model your case is on. If you're in Wales, it's very likely your case is on the new model.

The rest of this page explains the standard route.

1. The court issues your application

The court checks your C100 has been filled in properly. A gatekeeping team then looks at it, usually within a couple of working days, and decides which judge should hear it and whether anything is urgent. The court sends your C100, and your C1A if you filled one in, to Cafcass, or to Cafcass Cymru in Wales.

The other parent (the respondent) is sent the papers and told the date of the first hearing. The rules say they should get at least 14 days' notice of that hearing where practicable.

2. Cafcass safeguarding checks

Before the first hearing, Cafcass carries out safeguarding checks with the police and the local council's children's services. They want to know whether there are any concerns about your child's safety or welfare.

You should get a welcome letter telling you when Cafcass will phone you. The call usually lasts about 30 minutes. A Family Court Adviser will ask about your worries and any risks to your child. The other parent gets a call too. Don't panic if the call comes close to the hearing date. Cafcass says that can happen.

Cafcass then writes a safeguarding letter to the court. The rules give them 17 working days from getting your application, or 20 working days for Cafcass Cymru, and at least 3 working days before the hearing. The letter covers the results of the checks, what each of you said, and what Cafcass thinks should happen next. The court should tell you what's in it, unless doing so would put someone at risk.

3. A reminder about your MIAM

Before applying, you should have gone to a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM), unless you claimed a valid exemption. If the gatekeeper thinks your exemption doesn't stand up, they can direct you to attend a MIAM. At the first hearing the judge can also ask whether the other parent has been to one.

4. The first hearing, called the FHDRA

FHDRA stands for First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment. It should normally happen in week 5 after your application was issued, and week 6 at the latest.

It's a short hearing, and its main job is to see what can be agreed and what can't. A Cafcass officer may be there to help you both talk things through, and the court will look at whether mediation or another way of resolving things could work.

5. What the judge may do at the FHDRA

Depending on your case, the judge may

go through the safeguarding letter with you both
approve an agreement you've reached, once they're satisfied it's safe for your child
make a temporary (interim) order, for example supported or supervised contact
refer you to a course such as the Separated Parents Information Programme
decide how your child's wishes and feelings will be heard
set a date for the next hearing

6. Directions you might be given

If things can't be settled, the judge will give directions. These are instructions about what happens next and by when. Common ones are

a section 7 report, where Cafcass or the local council looks into specific issues and makes recommendations
written statements from you and the other parent, by a set date
a fact finding hearing, if there are serious allegations, such as domestic abuse, that the court needs to decide before it can decide arrangements for your child
a Dispute Resolution Appointment, usually once any report is ready, to try again for agreement before a final hearing

Deadlines in directions matter. Write every date down and keep to them.

How long will it take?

GOV.UK says it usually takes around 10 months to get a court order, depending on where you live and your situation. If you and the other parent agree at any stage, you can ask the judge to approve your agreement as an order.

You don't have to face this alone.

Court Compass is run by John Junk LL.M, a McKenzie Friend with around 30 years' experience of supporting people through the family courts. John can help you understand your papers, prepare for the FHDRA, get your statement in order and know what to expect on the day.

Book a session

This page is information, not legal advice.