Family court toolkit
How to fill in a C100 form
A section-by-section walkthrough of the form you use to ask the family court about your children — including the domestic abuse parts most people get wrong.
Information only. This is not legal advice. Court procedures and the law change. Always confirm with a solicitor, Citizens Advice, or a domestic abuse advocate before acting.
What the C100 actually is
The C100 is the form you fill in to ask a family court to decide something about your child — who they live with, who they see, and when.
It is a form, not a trial. You are not proving your case on it. You are telling the court what you want and flagging anything that makes your child or you unsafe.
If there is abuse in your situation, the C100 comes with a second form called the C1A. That is where you set out the harm. The two go together.
Step 01
Section 1 — What order are you asking for?
Tick the type of order you want. Most people applying about their children tick 'Child Arrangements Order'.
- Child Arrangements Order — who the child lives with, and who they spend time with.
- Prohibited Steps Order — to stop the other parent doing something (taking the child abroad, moving them, changing their school or name).
- Specific Issue Order — to decide one disagreement (school, medical treatment, passport).
- You can tick more than one. Write in a single sentence what you actually want to happen.
If there is domestic abuse
If you are worried the child could be taken away or removed from the country, tick Prohibited Steps Order as well and say why in plain words. If it is urgent, say so — see the 'urgent and without notice' box below.
Step 02
Section 2 — Do you need a MIAM, or are you exempt?
A MIAM is a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting. Normally you must attend one before applying. Domestic abuse is a recognised exemption — you do not have to sit in a room, or a video call, with someone who has abused you.
- Tick the domestic abuse exemption box and give the evidence you have.
- Accepted evidence includes: police involvement (charge, caution, ongoing case, protective notice), a protective order (non-molestation, occupation, restraining), a letter from a health professional, refuge, IDVA/ISVA, social services, or a domestic abuse support service.
- There are other exemptions too: urgency, risk to the child, child protection involvement, or the other person's location being unknown.
- If you claim an exemption, you do not pay for a MIAM and you do not need a mediator's signature.
Step 03
Section 3 & 4 — You, the other party, and the children
Names, dates of birth, addresses and who each person is to the child. Fill in every child the application is about.
- Use the child's full legal name and date of birth exactly as on the birth certificate.
- Say who currently has parental responsibility and who the child lives with now.
- Include anyone else who should be told about the case (for example a grandparent the child lives with).
If there is domestic abuse
Do not write your address here if the other person does not know it. Leave it out of the C100 and put it on form C8 (confidential contact details) instead — see the safety box below.
Step 04
Section 5 — Have the children been involved with social services?
Say honestly whether there has been any involvement with children's social care, a child protection plan, or a child in need plan.
- Being open here helps you. Judges find out anyway, and hiding it damages your credibility.
- Give the local authority's name and, if you have it, the social worker's name.
If there is domestic abuse
If social services became involved because of the other person's behaviour, say that clearly — it supports your account rather than harming it.
Step 05
Section 6 — Risk of harm: the domestic abuse question
This is the most important section for survivors. You are asked whether you believe the child or you have suffered, or are at risk of, any harm — abuse, violence, neglect, abduction, or anything else.
- Tick YES if any of it applies. Then you must also complete the separate C1A form.
- Do not try to fit the whole story in the small box. Write 'See C1A' and put the detail there.
- Ticking yes does not make you look difficult. It triggers the court's safeguarding checks, which are there to protect you.
If there is domestic abuse
Practice Direction 12J requires the family court to work out whether abuse happened, and to consider the risk, before it decides contact. That process only starts properly if you tick yes and file the C1A.
Step 06
Section 7 onwards — Other cases, attendance and support at court
List any other court cases involving the children or the family — protective orders, criminal cases, care proceedings. Then say what you need to take part safely.
- Ask for special measures: separate waiting areas, separate entry and exit times, a screen, or giving evidence by video link.
- Say if you need an interpreter, step-free access, breaks, or support with reading and writing.
- Say if you have a support worker, IDVA or McKenzie friend who will come with you.
If there is domestic abuse
You are presumed to be a vulnerable party if you are a victim of domestic abuse, and the court must consider participation directions. Ask early — it is much harder to arrange on the day.
Step 07
The fee — and how not to pay it
There is a court fee to issue a C100. Check the current amount on GOV.UK before you send it, because it changes.
- If you are on a low income or certain benefits, apply for Help with Fees (form EX160 or online) — you may pay nothing.
- Do Help with Fees first and send the reference with your application, or your papers may be sent back.
- You may also qualify for legal aid as a domestic abuse victim — see the legal aid page.
Step 08
How to send it in
You can apply online through GOV.UK, or on paper to your nearest family court.
- Online: search GOV.UK for 'apply for a court order to make arrangements for a child'. The service walks you through the same questions and lets you upload the C1A.
- Paper: send the signed C100, the C1A if you ticked yes to harm, the C8 if your address is confidential, and the fee or Help with Fees reference.
- Send three copies if applying on paper — one for the court, one for the other party, one for you.
- Keep a copy of everything you send, somewhere the other person cannot find it.
The C1A — the domestic abuse form
If you ticked yes to harm on the C100, you must also file a C1A ("Allegations of harm and domestic violence"). This is the form the judge and Cafcass read first.
- One incident per entry, in date order — the date, what was said or done, where, and who saw it.
- Use the person's actual words for threats and insults. Exact words are powerful evidence.
- Say what the child saw, heard, or was affected by — a child who sees or hears abuse is a victim in their own right under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
- Tick every type that applies: physical, emotional/psychological, sexual, financial, coercive or controlling behaviour, and risk of abduction.
- Say what you are asking the court to do about the risk — no contact, supervised contact, indirect contact, or a fact-finding hearing.
- Do not exaggerate and do not guess. One thing that cannot be stood up can be used to attack everything else you say.
Write it the same way you would write a witness statement — facts, dates, and the pattern.
Keeping yourself safe while you apply
- Form C8 keeps your address, phone number and email off the papers the other party sees. Fill it in if they do not already know where you live.
- Never write your new address anywhere on the C100 or C1A themselves.
- Use an email address the other person has never had access to, and a phone they cannot check.
- If the case is urgent and telling them first would put you or the child in danger, you can ask for a without-notice (ex parte) hearing — explain why on the form.
- Print at a library, work, or a support service if there is any chance of a home printer history being checked.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving section 6 blank because you are afraid of looking hostile — the court cannot protect a risk it has not been told about.
- Writing your feelings instead of facts. 'He is a narcissist' helps you less than 'On 3 June he took my phone and locked the door'.
- Putting your confidential address on the C100 instead of the C8.
- Attaching a 40-page bundle of screenshots. Summarise on the C1A; evidence comes later when the court directs it.
- Missing the MIAM section entirely — the court will reject or delay the application.
- Asking for 'no contact' with no reasons. Say what the risk is and what safer contact would look like.
What you need before you start
- ✓Children's full names and dates of birth
- ✓The other party's full name and last known address
- ✓Any existing court order or case number
- ✓Your MIAM exemption evidence (or MIAM certificate)
- ✓A short, dated list of incidents for the C1A
- ✓Help with Fees reference, or the court fee