How to Complete and File the C100 Court Form: MIAM, Fees, Hearing

The C100 is the form you file at a family court in England and Wales to ask a judge to decide arrangements for a child under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989. You use it to request a Child Arrangements Order, a Prohibited Steps Order, or a Specific Issue Order. Before you file, you almost always need to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM), and the form itself walks through your details, the children involved, the order you want, and your reasons for asking the court to step in.

What You Can Ask the Court to Order

A single C100 covers three types of Section 8 order, and you can apply for more than one on the same form.¹

A Child Arrangements Order sets out where a child lives and how much time they spend with each person.
A Prohibited Steps Order stops someone from taking a specific action without the court’s approval, for example taking a child abroad or changing their surname.
A Specific Issue Order resolves a particular disagreement about upbringing, such as which school the child attends or whether to go ahead with a medical treatment.

The form asks you to tick which order you want and to describe, in your own words, exactly what arrangement you are proposing.²

Whether You Can Apply Without Permission

Parents and guardians can file a C100 as of right. So can anyone already named in a child arrangements order (or the older-style residence order), someone the child has lived with for at least three years, or someone with the consent of everyone who holds parental responsibility.

Everyone else, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends, needs the court’s permission first. You request that permission inside the C100 by completing the relevant section and attaching a supporting statement that explains your connection to the child and why the order would benefit them.³ The court looks at the child’s welfare, the nature of the proposed application, and your existing relationship with the child.

Attend a MIAM Before You File

Section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014 requires you to attend a MIAM before filing a C100.⁴ A qualified family mediator runs the session, explains how mediation works, and assesses whether your dispute could be resolved without going to court. If both of you agree to try mediation, it may settle things without a hearing. If not, the mediator signs off on your C100 to confirm you attended.

The court will normally refuse an application that lacks either a signed MIAM certificate or a valid exemption. Practice Direction 3A of the Family Procedure Rules sets out the exemptions, and the bar is specific.⁵ The main grounds are:

Domestic abuse, with accepted evidence such as a police caution, a relevant conviction, a protective injunction, a finding of fact in previous proceedings, or a letter from a health professional confirming injuries consistent with abuse.
Urgency, where there is a risk to the life, liberty, or physical safety of you or the child, or where delay would cause a risk of significant harm.
Child protection involvement, where a local authority is making enquiries or has a child protection plan in place.
A MIAM or attempted mediation within the last four months that was not successful.

If you claim an exemption, tick the right box on the form and, in most cases, attach supporting evidence. A poorly documented exemption is enough on its own to have the application refused.

Working Through the Form

You can download the C100 as a PDF from GOV.UK and complete it digitally or by hand, or apply through the online portal.³ Gather everything before you start. Incomplete forms get sent back.

Your Details and the Respondent’s Details

Give your full name, date of birth, address, and relationship to the child. State whether you have lived at your current address for more than five years; if not, list previous addresses going back five years. The respondent’s section mirrors this. Each additional respondent needs a separate entry.

The Children

For each child, provide the full name, date of birth, gender, and who they currently live with. The form also asks about each child’s relationship to the applicant and the respondent.

The Orders You Want

Tick which Section 8 order you are applying for and describe the specific arrangement you want. Be concrete. Rather than “I want to see my child more,” spell out which days, whether overnight stays are included, how handovers would work, and what happens during holidays.²

MIAM Confirmation

Attach the signed MIAM certificate, or tick the exemption that applies and attach the supporting evidence. Leaving this section incomplete is one of the fastest routes to a rejected application.

Grounds for the Application

Explain, in plain language, why the court needs to intervene. Focus on the child’s welfare: the current situation, what you have tried privately, and why an order is needed. Clear factual writing works better than emotional narrative.

Other Proceedings and the Declaration

Disclose any ongoing or previous court proceedings involving the same children, including care proceedings, domestic abuse proceedings, and earlier Section 8 applications. Non-disclosure damages your credibility with the judge. The last section is your signed statement of truth.

If There Are Safety Concerns

If you or a child has experienced or is at risk of harm or domestic abuse, complete Form C1A alongside your C100.⁶ The C1A asks you to identify the type of abuse (physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, or financial) and describe what happened, when, and what steps you have taken, such as contacting the police or obtaining a protective order.⁷

If disclosing your address or contact details to the other party would put you or your child at risk, file Form C8 at the same time. It keeps your contact information confidential; only the court and Cafcass see it.⁸ Check that none of your other documents accidentally include the details you want kept private.

Urgent and Without-Notice Applications

In exceptional cases where a child is at immediate risk, you can ask the court to hear your application urgently and without notifying the other party first. The court will only agree if giving notice would allow the respondent to defeat the purpose of the application, would put you or the child in danger, or if there is some other exceptional urgency and no time to give notice.⁹

For a without-notice application, complete sections 6a and 6b of the C100 with a full, signed account of the evidence you are relying on, and use section 4b to tell the court what you think the other person would say in response if they were present. Any separate written statement must include a signed declaration of truth and explain the background, why you need an emergency order, and exactly what order you want.⁹

Submitting the Form and Paying the Fee

You can submit a completed C100 through the online portal on GOV.UK or print it and post it to the relevant family court.³ The standard court fee is £232, payable at the time of submission. Check the current fee schedule (Form EX50) on GOV.UK before filing, as fees are updated periodically.

If you are on a low income or receive certain benefits, you can apply for help with the fee using Form EX160. Eligibility depends on your savings, the benefits you receive, and your household income. If you are single, your reported income needs to be £1,420 or less; with a partner, the threshold is £2,130 or less. Your savings must also be below the maximum for your fee band.¹⁰ Send the EX160 with your C100 to the address shown on the court application.

After You File

Once the court accepts your application, it serves copies on the respondent and sends the application to Cafcass (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service), which gets involved immediately.

Cafcass Safeguarding Checks

Cafcass carries out safeguarding checks with the police and the local authority to identify any existing concerns about the children’s welfare or safety. In most cases a Cafcass practitioner will also phone both parties to hear each side. At least three days before the first hearing, Cafcass sends the court a short safeguarding letter summarising the checks and any welfare issues raised.¹¹

The First Hearing

The court lists a First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA), usually within six to eight weeks of the application being issued. The judge reviews the Cafcass safeguarding letter, hears from both parties, and tries to narrow or resolve the dispute. If the issues are straightforward and both sides agree, the judge may make a final order at this stage. Otherwise the court sets directions for the next steps, which could include a full Cafcass report, further evidence, or a final hearing later.

Prepare for the FHDRA as if it were the main event. Bring copies of your C100, any supporting documents, and a short summary of the arrangement you are proposing. A few clear sentences work better than pages of notes.

1
Legislation.gov.uk. Children Act 1989 – Section 8
2
HM Courts & Tribunals Service. Application Under Section 8 of the Children Act 1989
3
GOV.UK. Apply for a Court Order to Make Arrangements for a Child or Resolve a Dispute About Their Upbringing – Form C100
4
Legislation.gov.uk. Children and Families Act 2014 – Section 10
5
Justice UK. Practice Direction 3A – Family Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMS) and Non-Court Dispute Resolution
6
GOV.UK. Form C1A – Provide Supplemental Information When Making or Responding to Allegations of Harm and Domestic Violence
7
HM Courts & Tribunals Service. C1A Allegations of Harm and Domestic Violence
8
HM Courts & Tribunals Service. Confidential Contact Details Form C8
9
GOV.UK. Urgent Hearings About Child Arrangements (CB2)
10
GOV.UK. Get Help Paying Court and Tribunal Fees
11
Cafcass. Overview of Our Involvement With You as You Go Through the Court Process