Templates
Court & evidence templates
Free Word (.docx) templates you can download, fill in and take to court or the police station. Each template uses plain English with prompts in [SQUARE BRACKETS] showing what to add. Generated in your browser — nothing is uploaded. If .docx doesn't open in your device, use the .txt button — it works everywhere and can be pasted into Word/Pages/Google Docs.
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.
Family court
Witness statement — Family Court (Part 22 FPR)
Compliant with Part 22 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 and Practice Direction 22A. Use for fact-finding, Form C100/C1A or FL401 proceedings. Number every paragraph; exhibit documents as 'XY1', 'XY2' etc.
- Heading block must match the court case (court, case number, parties).
- Statement must be in your own words — not your solicitor's.
- Sign and date the statement of truth at the end. False statements are contempt of court.
Witness-Statement-Family.docxChronology of events
A simple table of dated events. Required reading for the judge in nearly every fact-finding or welfare hearing. Keep entries short — narrative goes in the witness statement.
- Order strictly chronological — oldest first.
- Cross-reference each entry to its exhibit ([INITIALS-1, p.X]).
Chronology.docxScott Schedule of allegations
Used in fact-finding hearings. List only the worst and most representative allegations — Re H-N warns against an over-long schedule. Pair it with a narrative document explaining the pattern.
- Only complete the columns you are asked to fill in — the Respondent's reply and the Judge's finding are completed by them.
- Keep the description short and specific; longer detail goes in your witness statement.
Scott-Schedule.docxNarrative threshold document
A short prose document setting out the pattern of behaviour the court is invited to find proved — the format strongly preferred by the Court of Appeal in Re H-N [2021] over a long Scott Schedule.
- Aim for 3–6 pages.
- Lead with the pattern; particularise it with cross-references to the witness statement and exhibits.
Narrative-Threshold.docxPosition statement (interim hearing)
A short document filed before a directions or interim hearing setting out where you stand and what you want the court to do at this hearing.
- Keep it to 2–3 pages.
- Always include a 'directions sought' section so the judge knows what order you are asking for.
Position-Statement.docx
Criminal / police
Witness statement — Criminal (MG11 style)
Mirrors the MG11 (witness statement) layout used by police. You are entitled to read your statement carefully and to ask for corrections before signing. Free narrative first, then questions.
- You can ask for a male / female officer and an interpreter.
- Special measures are available automatically as a DA complainant — screens, live link, pre-recorded evidence (ss.27–28 YJCEA 1999).
- Make a separate Victim Personal Statement (VPS) about impact — used at sentence.
Witness-Statement-Criminal-MG11.docxVictim Personal Statement (VPS)
A separate statement made under the Victims' Code about the impact of the offence on you. Read aloud or summarised at sentence; the judge must consider it.
- You can update the VPS at any time before sentence.
- Stick to impact — physical, emotional, financial, social. Do not suggest a sentence.
Victim-Personal-Statement.docx
Child maintenance
CMS — request the Domestic Abuse Service Type
Asks the Child Maintenance Service to flag your case as domestic abuse: waive the £20 fee, default to Collect & Pay, give you a single named caseworker, never put you through to the other parent and protect your address.
- CMS does not require proof to apply the Domestic Abuse Service Type.
- Send by email or post to the CMS team handling your case — keep a copy.
CMS-Domestic-Abuse-Service-Type.docxCMS — chase arrears and request enforcement
Used when the paying parent has missed payments. Asks CMS to move to enforcement (deduction from earnings, deduction from accounts, liability order, driving licence / passport disqualification, committal).
- Send after 30 days of non- or part-payment, with a schedule of missed sums attached.
- Keep your own log — date, expected amount, paid amount, communications.
CMS-Arrears-Enforcement.docxCMS — mandatory reconsideration request
Challenges a CMS decision (calculation, refusal to vary, refusal to enforce). Must be made within 30 days of the decision being notified.
- Out-of-time requests can be accepted up to 13 months with good reason.
- After mandatory reconsideration you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber).
CMS-Mandatory-Reconsideration.docxResponse to a late paternity / DNA demand
Use when a paying parent suddenly demands a DNA test after months or years of accepted parentage and paid maintenance. Addressed jointly to the paying parent and to the CMS. References DAA 2021, CSA 1991, FLRA 1969, Children Act 1989, Article 8 ECHR and the UNCRC.
- Do not agree to any test outside a court direction.
- Maintenance continues unless and until a court makes a declaration of non-parentage.
- Keep all messages making the request — they are evidence of post-separation economic and litigation abuse.
Response-to-Late-DNA-Demand.docx
Disclosure & complaints
Subject Access Request — Police
Request your personal data held by a police force under Article 15 UK GDPR. Free; the force must respond within one calendar month (extendable to three for complex requests).
- Send to the force's data protection / information rights team — addresses on each force website.
- Attach proof of ID (passport or driving licence) and proof of address.
SAR-Police.docxSubject Access Request — NHS / GP
Obtain a copy of your GP, A&E or hospital records. Free under UK GDPR; response within one month.
- Send to your GP practice manager or the hospital's Health Records / Information Governance team.
SAR-NHS.docxPolice complaint — Professional Standards
Use to raise a formal complaint under Schedule 3 of the Police Reform Act 2002. Send to the force's Professional Standards Department (PSD).
- If unhappy with the force's handling you can apply for review to the IOPC or the local Police and Crime Commissioner.
- Time limit is normally 12 months from the incident but PSD can disapply it for good reason.
Police-Complaint.docxVictims' Right to Review — request letter
Challenges a CPS decision not to charge, to discontinue or to substantially alter a charge. Apply within 10 working days (extendable to 3 months in exceptional cases).
- Send to the reviewing lawyer named in the decision letter, copy to the Victims' Right to Review team.
- A similar scheme exists for police charging decisions on out-of-court disposals.
Victims-Right-to-Review.docxPolice complaint — escalation to IOPC
Use after a local police force complaint has been concluded (or after 28 days with no substantive response) to ask the Independent Office for Police Conduct to review the handling. England & Wales only — Police Scotland complaints go to PIRC; PSNI complaints go to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
- Apply within 28 days of receiving the force's outcome letter.
- You can ask IOPC to review either the outcome or the way the complaint was handled.
- Attach the force's outcome letter and any correspondence.
IOPC-Complaint-Escalation.docxLetter to school — safeguarding & child arrangements
Notifies the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) of domestic abuse in the household, asks the school to apply Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (KCSIE) and Working Together 2023, and sets out who may collect the child. Use alongside, not instead of, a copy of any Child Arrangements Order or Non-Molestation Order.
- Address to the Headteacher AND the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) by name.
- Attach: a copy of any court order, the relevant page of any safeguarding plan, and emergency contact details.
- Ask for a written acknowledgement and a meeting within 10 school days.
School-Safeguarding-Letter.docxMARAC referral chase — to police DA team / IDVA
Used by a victim (or someone supporting them) to ask why they have not been referred to MARAC despite a high-risk DASH score, or to chase the outcome of an existing MARAC referral.
- Address to the force Public Protection / Domestic Abuse Unit AND copy your local IDVA service.
- The MARAC threshold is the SafeLives risk identification checklist (DASH RIC) — usually 14+ ticks, or 'professional judgement' of high risk.
MARAC-Referral-Chase.docxSubject access request — Local Authority Children's Services
Asks the local authority for the social work file held on you and your child. Use ahead of family proceedings, threshold work, or to understand what is recorded on the case file. Made under Article 15 UK GDPR and section 45 Data Protection Act 2018. Free of charge; must be responded to within one month (extendable to three for complex requests).
- Send to the Council's Data Protection Officer (DPO). The address is on the council's website under 'Privacy'.
- You can ask for your child's records as the person with parental responsibility, but the LA must consider the child's own wishes if they are competent.
- Some material may be redacted (third-party data, legally privileged advice, ongoing inquiries). Ask for reasons in writing for any redaction.
SAR-Childrens-Services.docx
Day-to-day logging
Daily incident log (paper journal)
A printable template for logging incidents contemporaneously. Pair with this app's encrypted Journal for tamper-evident records.
- Print and keep somewhere safe — a friend's house, locked file, or scanned to encrypted cloud.
- Write entries the same day where possible — contemporaneous notes carry the most weight.
Incident-Log.docx