How Long Does a Child Arrangements Case Take in 2026? The Standard Route and the Child Focused Court

How long your child arrangements case takes now depends heavily on which court area you are in. Two different procedures are running side by side in England and Wales.

The standard route is the Child Arrangements Programme (CAP). Ministry of Justice figures for January to March 2026 put the average private law children case at 35 weeks from application to conclusion, with 52% finishing within 26 weeks (MoJ family court statistics).

The newer route is the Child Focused Court (CFC) model, formerly called the Private Law Pathfinder. In the early adopter courts, HMCTS reports average case length falling from around 37 weeks to 12 weeks, and the Government says cases have been resolved up to seven and a half months faster (GOV.UK).

The biggest practical difference: under the CFC model, the most detailed look at your child happens at the start, and your first attended hearing may also be your last. Your preparation needs to be done before you file, not after.

Which model applies to you?

The model your case follows depends on the court handling it, not where you or the other parent live. The court's first order or notice will tell you which procedure applies.

Practice Direction 36Z names the exact family court locations it covers and the date each one joined. It applies to applications started at those courts. The current version runs the pilot for applications filed up to 31 March 2027.

• Hampshire and the Isle of Wight — Court locations named in PD 36Z: Aldershot, Basingstoke, Newport (Isle of Wight), Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester · Applications filed from: 6 January 2026
• West Midlands — Court locations named in PD 36Z: Dudley, Hereford, Kidderminster, North Staffordshire, Redditch, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Worcester · Applications filed from: 11 November 2025
• West Yorkshire — Court locations named in PD 36Z: Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield · Applications filed from: 3 June 2025
• South West and Mid Wales — Court locations named in PD 36Z: Swansea, Port Talbot, Llanelli, Haverfordwest, Aberystwyth, Carmarthen · Applications filed from: 3 March 2025
• Birmingham — Court locations named in PD 36Z: Birmingham · Applications filed from: 28 May 2024
• South East Wales — Court locations named in PD 36Z: Blackwood, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Pontypridd · Applications filed from: 29 April 2024
• Dorset and North Wales (original pilots) — Court locations named in PD 36Z: Bournemouth, Weymouth, Caernarfon, Mold, Prestatyn, Wrexham · Applications filed from: 21 February 2022

These areas were announced for 2026/27 but are not yet named in PD 36Z. They will follow the standard CAP until a Practice Direction Update adds them:

• Northumbria and North Durham — Status: Announced for 2026/27
• Cleveland and South Durham — Status: Announced for 2026/27
• Lancashire — Status: Announced for 2026/27
• Cumbria — Status: Announced for 2026/27
• York and North Yorkshire — Status: Announced for 2026/27
• Cheshire and Merseyside — Status: Announced for 2026/27; local domestic abuse support service due from November 2026
• Northamptonshire — Status: Announced for 2026/27
• Coventry and Warwickshire — Status: Announced for 2026/27

Everywhere else, including London and the South East, the standard CAP applies for now.

Timeline: the standard Child Arrangements Programme

Under the CAP, information about the child is gathered in stages across several hearings. Timings below are targets set by Practice Direction 12B, not guaranteed dates.

• C100 issued — Usual timing: Day 1 · What happens: The court checks the form, allocates the case and sends it to Cafcass (or Cafcass Cymru) · What can slow it down: Missing information, problems serving the other parent, a without notice application
• Cafcass safeguarding checks — Usual timing: Letter due within 17 working days · What happens: Police and local authority checks, plus a phone call with each parent · What can slow it down: Late replies from agencies, difficulty reaching a parent, new allegations
• First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA) — Usual timing: Week 5, no later than week 6 · What happens: The court works out what is agreed, what is disputed and whether there are risks. A consent order can be made if you agree · What can slow it down: Court listing pressure, urgent interim issues
• Directions and evidence — Usual timing: Set at or after the FHDRA · What happens: Statements, a section 7 report, drug or alcohol testing, school or medical records · What can slow it down: Report author availability, missed deadlines
• Section 7 report — Usual timing: Filing date set by the court, often 12 to 16 weeks · What happens: A Cafcass officer or social worker speaks to parents, the child and professionals and makes recommendations · What can slow it down: Complexity, workload, further enquiries
• Fact-finding hearing (if needed) — Usual timing: Listed when disputed allegations must be decided first · What happens: The court hears evidence and decides which allegations are proved · What can slow it down: Volume of allegations, disclosure, witness availability
• Dispute Resolution Appointment (DRA) — Usual timing: After the evidence is in · What happens: Another attempt to agree; issues for final hearing narrowed · What can slow it down: Late reports, new applications
• Final hearing — Usual timing: Listed if agreement is not reached · What happens: The court hears evidence and makes the final order · What can slow it down: Adjournments, lack of court time, change in circumstances

A typical contested CAP case involves at least three attended hearings: FHDRA, DRA and final hearing.

Timeline: the Child Focused Court

Under the CFC model, the work is front loaded. One Child Impact Report (CIR) replaces both the safeguarding letter and the section 7 report. The procedure is set out in PD 12B (Pilot), which is annexed to PD 36Z.

• Before applying — Timescale in the PD: MIAM should be held within 15 working days of contacting the mediator · What happens: The Pre-Application Protocol (Annex 2) applies, as does the MIAM requirement unless an exemption applies · What you need to know: The judge will ask what steps you took to comply with the Protocol
• Issue — Timescale in the PD: Court sends the applicant copies and directions ideally within 3 working days of issue (para 8.8) · What happens: The C100 and any C1A go to the Social Work Agency the same day (para 8.11) · What you need to know: Complete every form fully. Gaps delay issue (para 8.7)
• Court phone call — Timescale in the PD: Within 5 to 10 working days, for a party who is a litigant in person (paras 8.10, 8.10A) · What happens: Court staff confirm receipt and explain the process · What you need to know: Make sure your phone number on the C100 is correct
• Respondent's reply — Timescale in the PD: C7 and any C1A within 14 days of receiving the application (para 8.12) · What happens: The court copies them to the Social Work Agency and the applicant · What you need to know: Respondents: raise safety concerns on the C1A, not in a separate statement
• Initial gatekeeping — Timescale in the PD: No fixed time; allocation can be now or later (para 9.1) · What happens: MIAM compliance checked, urgent hearing directed if needed, case referred for the Child Impact Report · What you need to know: No hearing. A local authority, not Cafcass, may lead if there is an open social work case, or a section 17 or 47 assessment or a plan in the previous 12 weeks (para 13.2A)
• Stage 1: Information Gathering and Assessment — Timescale in the PD: No fixed time; set by the court's directions · What happens: Safeguarding checks, engagement with each party, engagement with the child unless inappropriate, DASH assessment where domestic abuse is a feature (para 13.1) · What you need to know: The CIR is itself a section 7 report, so a separate section 7 report should not be needed (para 13.11). The CIR is served on the parties unless the agency raises concerns (para 14.3A)
• Safeguarding Gatekeeping Appointment / Case Management — Timescale in the PD: After the CIR is filed; no fixed time · What happens: The judge decides the agreed and disputed issues, whether fact-finding is needed (separately or alongside the Decision Hearing), interim orders, further directions, and whether to list a Decision Hearing straight away (para 14.2) · What you need to know: No evidence is filed until the court gives directions at this point, unless directed earlier or filed with a without notice application (para 26.1)
• Stage 2: Interventions and/or Decision Hearing — Timescale in the PD: No fixed time · What happens: Activity directions, referral to mediation or programmes, a consent order, or a Decision Hearing (para 15.1). At the Decision Hearing the court decides the disputed issues and what order to make (para 15.2) · What you need to know: In these courts the Decision Hearing takes the place of a final hearing. The CIR author does not attend unless the court directs it (para 23.3)
• Consent order with checks outstanding — Timescale in the PD: Adjourned ideally for no longer than 28 days (para 24.2) · What happens: An updated CIR confirms the safeguarding position · What you need to know: The order may then be made without the parties attending
• Enforcement applications — Timescale in the PD: Heard within 20 working days of issue if no new CIR; within 10 working days of a new CIR being filed (para 17.2) · What happens: Same stages, adapted for alleged breach · What you need to know: Listed before the judge who made the order where possible

According to practitioners working in these courts, the CIR has typically taken around eight weeks and the Decision Hearing has followed around week 10 (JWP Solicitors). These are reported patterns, not PD requirements. PD 12B (Pilot) also allows local practices within its framework (para 7.1), so the pace can still differ between courts.

The PD text above includes all amendments up to Practice Direction Update No. 3 of 2026, in force 26 June 2026. Further changes, including adding the 2026/27 areas, are expected.

The Court of Appeal has since confirmed that the CFC model changes the procedure but not the law. We cover that ruling in The Court of Appeal's First Ruling on the Child Focused Court.

Side by side

The main shift is from gathering information over several hearings to gathering it before the first one.

• Rules — Standard CAP: PD 12B · Child Focused Court: PD 36Z and the annexed PD 12B (Pilot)
• First assessment — Standard CAP: Safeguarding letter, then a possible section 7 report · Child Focused Court: One Child Impact Report, which is itself a section 7 report
• When the child is heard — Standard CAP: Often months into the case, if at all · Child Focused Court: During Stage 1, before any Decision Hearing, unless inappropriate (reason recorded in the CIR)
• First attended hearing — Standard CAP: FHDRA, week 5 and no later than week 6 · Child Focused Court: Often the Decision Hearing; the PD sets no week target
• Can the first attended hearing end the case? — Standard CAP: Only if you agree · Child Focused Court: Yes, the court can decide the disputed issues and make an order
• Fact-finding — Standard CAP: Often identified at FHDRA or later · Child Focused Court: Considered when the CIR is filed, and can be heard alongside the Decision Hearing
• When evidence is filed — Standard CAP: As directed, often after the FHDRA · Child Focused Court: Not until directed after the CIR, except in urgent or without notice cases
• Domestic abuse support — Standard CAP: Varies by area · Child Focused Court: Built in: DASH assessment where abuse is a feature, with IDVA or support worker input
• Average case length — Standard CAP: 35 weeks nationally (Jan to Mar 2026) · Child Focused Court: Around 12 weeks in early adopter courts

Separately, the Government has announced it will repeal the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989 through the Courts and Tribunals Bill. That change would apply under both models. Check its current status before relying on it.

Before you apply

The same starting rules apply under both models.

• MIAM. You normally need to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting before filing. Exemptions include evidence of domestic abuse, child protection concerns and genuine urgency. Claim an exemption only if it genuinely applies; an unsupported claim causes delay.
• Form C100. This is the application form. If you have safety concerns, you will also complete Form C1A. Our C100 guide walks through it.
• Urgent applications. If delay would put a child at risk of harm or of being removed, you can ask for an urgent hearing. A without notice application, where the other parent is not told in advance, is only for exceptional cases. You must give the court a full and fair account, including points the other side would make. A return hearing will follow.

In a Child Focused Court, your C100 and C1A are read closely at gatekeeping and shape who writes the Child Impact Report and what it covers. Treat them as your opening statement.

What makes a case take longer

These factors extend a case under either model.

• Welfare report — Standard CAP: A section 7 report usually pushes the case well beyond the first hearing · Child Focused Court: Built into the CIR; a further report is less common
• Fact-finding — Standard CAP: Can add months, especially if identified late · Child Focused Court: Still adds time, but is flagged earlier so the case is planned around it
• Testing and experts — Standard CAP: Drug or alcohol testing, medical records; experts need the court's permission · Child Focused Court: Same, though often directed earlier
• International or relocation issues — Standard CAP: Specialist directions and evidence on schooling, housing and contact abroad · Child Focused Court: Same
• Non-compliance — Standard CAP: Late statements or missed appointments cause adjournments · Child Focused Court: Missing a CIR interview delays the report and everything after it
• Court capacity — Standard CAP: National backlogs and local listing pressure · Child Focused Court: Backlogs in pilot areas more than halved, but local capacity still varies

The court does not routinely order one parent to pay the other's costs in children cases, though it can where litigation conduct is unreasonable.

Reducing delay if you are representing yourself

You cannot control the court diary or Cafcass workload, but you can avoid adding delay.

Under either model:

• Be clear about the exact order you want and why it is best for your child.
• Keep your chronology about the child, not the history of the adult relationship.
• Complete the C100 and C1A fully and accurately.
• Attend the MIAM unless a valid exemption applies.
• Meet every deadline in every order and keep proof of filing and service.
• Put forward practical interim proposals: school days, weekends, holidays and handovers.
• Leave out messages and screenshots that do not help the court decide what is best for the child.
• Consider mediation or negotiation where it is safe to do so. Agreement can end the case at any stage.

Extra points in a Child Focused Court:

• Prepare before you file. The CIR author will contact you early, and the Decision Hearing may be the only hearing.
• Put your safety concerns in the C100 and C1A at the start. Do not file statements or evidence until the court directs it.
• Respond promptly to the CIR author and keep every appointment.
• Read the CIR as soon as it is served, and the order made after it. Follow any deadline the order sets.
• Treat the Decision Hearing as if it were a final hearing.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can I get a child arrangements order? Under CAP, an agreed case can end at the FHDRA around week 5 or 6. In a Child Focused Court, the PD sets no week target. Practitioners report the Decision Hearing has typically come around week 10, and it can produce a final order. Contested cases take longer under both.

How do I know which model my case is under? It depends on the court. Your first order or notice from the court will say. If unsure, ask the court office.

Will my child be spoken to? In a Child Focused Court, the CIR author will usually speak to the child where it is safe and appropriate, early in the case. Under CAP, this normally happens only if a section 7 report is ordered.

Can I get an interim order? Yes, under either model, if the court has enough information to be satisfied a temporary arrangement is safe and in the child's interests.

What if I disagree with the Child Impact Report? Raise it promptly. The court will decide whether a further hearing is necessary and proportionate. Check the order made after the report is filed for any deadline it sets.

Can the other parent deliberately delay the case? Missed deadlines and non-attendance cause delay, but the court can make case management orders. Keep a record of non-compliance. Do not respond by withholding the child or breaching an existing order.

Can I still mediate once proceedings have started? Yes, where it is safe. If you reach agreement, the court can approve it as an order.

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This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Procedures and timings vary by court and change over time. Always follow the directions in your own court orders. If you are unsure how any of this applies to you, speak to a solicitor or a legal advice service.