Child Focused Courts (CFC) is the current name for the reform programme formerly known as Pathfinder. As of March 2026, CFC operates in approximately 10 court areas across England and Wales, including Wales, West Yorkshire, Birmingham/West Midlands, Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Dorset, and North Wales. Under the CFC model, cases are managed with an emphasis on early investigation — CAFCASS officers engage with families before the first hearing, safeguarding information is gathered promptly, and the court takes a problem-solving, child-centred approach rather than a traditional adversarial one. If your case is in a CFC area, the process may feel different from what older guidance describes: expect earlier contact from CAFCASS, a focus on the child's voice, and less reliance on contested fact-finding as a default first step.
In Plain English
Child Focused Courts is the new name for what used to be called Pathfinder. If your court area is a CFC area, your case will be handled in a more child-centred way — with CAFCASS getting involved early and the court focusing on your child's needs from the start, rather than waiting for disputes to escalate.
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