The C15 form is a one-page supplement to the C1 application used in the Family Court of England and Wales when you want a court order setting contact with a child who is in local authority care. It sits under Section 34 of the Children Act 1989, which requires local authorities to allow reasonable contact between a child in care and certain people, most often parents, guardians, and anyone who held a child arrangements order before the care order was made.1Legislation.gov.uk. Children Act 1989, Section 34 The form itself is short. The application it supports can define when, where, and how often you see the child.
One quick clarification before anything else. The C15 is sometimes confused with the C1A, which is a different supplement entirely, used to report allegations of harm and domestic abuse in family proceedings.2GOV.UK. Form C1A: Provide Supplemental Information When Making or Responding to Allegations of Harm and Domestic Violence If your situation is about safety concerns in a private law dispute, the C1A is the form you need. The C15 is only for contact with a child in local authority care.3GOV.UK. Form C15: Supplement for an Application for Contact With a Child in Care
Can You Apply Without the Court’s Permission
Section 34 lists people who can apply for a contact order directly, without first asking the court for leave:
- Parents, whether or not they hold parental responsibility.
- Guardians and special guardians formally appointed as the child’s guardian.
- Anyone named in a child arrangements order as a person the child was to live with, where that order was in force immediately before the care order was made.
- Anyone who had care of the child through an order made under the High Court’s inherent jurisdiction, where that order was in force immediately before the care order.
If you fall outside those categories, you can still apply, but you need the court’s permission first under Section 34(3)(b).1Legislation.gov.uk. Children Act 1989, Section 34 This covers grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends, and former foster carers. The court will look at your relationship with the child and whether the proposed contact would be in the child’s interests before granting leave. The local authority and the child can also apply under Section 34(2).
What to Gather Before You Fill It In
The form is one page. The work is in what you put with it. Before you start, pull together:
- The child’s full name and date of birth.
- The name of the local authority holding the care order, when the order was made, and the case number if you have it.
- Your relationship to the child: parent, guardian, former child arrangements order holder, or someone who will need leave.
- Any documents you want the court to see. The form asks you to list the date and author of each one and attach a copy. Medical records, school reports, social worker assessments, letters, and photographs showing your relationship with the child are all fair game.
- A clear picture of the contact you want. In-person visits, phone calls, video calls, or letters, and how often. Specificity makes the court’s job easier.
You will also need a completed C1 form. The C1 is the main application form for most orders under the Children Act 1989, and the C15 cannot be filed on its own.4GOV.UK. Apply for Certain Orders Under the Children Act 1989: Form C1
How to Complete the C15
Download the form from GOV.UK, where HM Courts & Tribunals Service maintains it as a PDF. A bilingual English-Welsh version is on the same page.3GOV.UK. Form C15: Supplement for an Application for Contact With a Child in Care
There are two substantive sections.
Section 1 asks about your relationship to the child. Tick or state which category you fall into: parent or guardian, holder of a residence order (now a child arrangements order) that was in force immediately before the care order, or someone who had care under the High Court’s inherent jurisdiction. If none of these apply, explain your connection and confirm you are seeking leave.
Section 2 asks what order you want and why. Describe the contact you are requesting and give your reasons. The child’s welfare is the court’s paramount concern under the Children Act 1989, so your reasons need to explain how contact benefits the child, not just you. List each supporting document by date and author and attach copies.
Sign and date the form. The court fills in the administrative fields, including case number, date issued, court name, and the children’s reference numbers, once the application is processed.
Making Section 2 Persuasive
Section 2 is where contact applications are won or lost. The local authority will respond with its own position, and the court will weigh both. General statements of love will not carry an application. Specifics will.
Describe the relationship you already have with the child. How often you saw them before the care order, what you did together, and the role you played in their life. If contact was disrupted by the care proceedings, explain the circumstances. If the local authority has been allowing informal contact since, give the dates and arrangements. Working contact that is already happening is strong evidence that formal contact will work too.
Keep the focus on the child. Framing the request around the child’s emotional needs and stability lands better than framing it around your own loss. If a social worker, teacher, or therapist has said anything supportive about your relationship with the child, attach it and point to it in your reasons.
Where and How to File
File the completed C15 together with your C1 application at the Family Court handling the child’s care proceedings. If you don’t know which court that is, the local authority’s legal department or children’s services team can tell you.
A court fee applies to the C1. The C15 supplement itself has no separate fee. The current fee schedule is in the EX50 guide on GOV.UK.5GOV.UK. Fees in the Civil and Family Courts – Main Fees (EX50) If you cannot afford the fee, apply for remission using form EX160. The court will assess your income and savings.
You can file in person at the court counter, by post, or by email where the court accepts electronic filing. Check with your local Family Court on which methods it accepts.
What Happens After You File
The court serves copies on the local authority and any other parties. The authority has to state its position: supporting your application, opposing it, or proposing different terms.
Before making or varying a contact order, the court must consider the arrangements the local authority has made or plans to make, and must invite all parties to comment on those arrangements.1Legislation.gov.uk. Children Act 1989, Section 34 In practice this means a hearing where you, the local authority, and any children’s guardian appointed by Cafcass can be heard. A guardian, if appointed, will usually speak with the child depending on their age, review the authority’s records, and make a recommendation on contact.6Cafcass. A Family Court Adviser Gives Safeguarding Advice to Court (the Safeguarding Letter)
Timelines vary with the court’s caseload. Expect the first hearing within a few weeks of filing. If you and the authority agree on terms, the court can make a consent order fairly quickly. Contested applications take longer and may need witness statements, a guardian’s report, and a full hearing.
If the Local Authority Is Blocking Contact
A local authority can refuse contact that Section 34 would otherwise require, but only in urgent circumstances, only to safeguard or promote the child’s welfare, and only for up to seven days. To go beyond that, it has to apply to the court for an order under Section 34(4), and you are entitled to be heard before such an order is made.1Legislation.gov.uk. Children Act 1989, Section 34
If you believe the authority is unlawfully blocking or unreasonably limiting your contact, the C1 with a C15 supplement is the formal route. A court order sets defined terms the authority has to follow, replacing its discretion with a binding requirement.