Child Focused Courts: What Parents Should Expect from the New Family Court Procedures

If you’re navigating child arrangements following separation, you’ll no longer face multiple court hearings stretched across months. The system you’ve heard about from friends or read about online has been replaced.

In March 2026, the Ministry of Justice confirmed the national rollout of Child Focused Courts across all family courts in England and Wales. Originally piloted as the Private Law Pathfinder programme, this approach replaces the adversarial, multi-hearing model with a 12-week process that front-loads information gathering and prioritises your child’s voice from the outset.

What matters is understanding how this works in practice and what you need to do differently.

The 12-Week Timeline Replaces Multiple Hearings

The traditional model gathered information gradually. You’d attend an initial hearing, perhaps without substantial evidence. The court would order reports. You’d return weeks later. More information would emerge. Further hearings would be scheduled. Cases routinely took 12 months or longer.

Child Focused Courts compress this timeline drastically. The entire process – from application to final order – aims to conclude within 12 weeks.

This isn’t achieved by cutting corners. Rather, the court receives comprehensive information before the first substantive hearing instead of building a picture incrementally across multiple appearances.

CAFCASS Will Contact You Within Days, Not Months

After your application is issued, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) – or your local authority in some areas – will contact you quickly to gather information for a Child Impact Report.

A Family Court Adviser will meet with both parents separately and, where safe to do so, with your child. This happens early – within weeks of your application, not months into proceedings.

They’ll gather:

• What daily life looks like for your child
• Your child’s wishes and feelings (accounting for age and understanding)
• Safeguarding concerns from any source
• Information from schools and other involved professionals
• Police and Local Authority record checks
• Details of any previous court proceedings

The Family Court Adviser conducts thorough safeguarding checks and speaks directly with children far earlier than the previous system allowed. The report is typically completed within eight weeks – before you attend a substantive hearing.

Your Child’s Voice Reaches the Judge Before You Enter the Courtroom

Where appropriate for their age and understanding, your child will be spoken to directly by the Family Court Adviser. This isn’t about forcing children to choose between parents. It’s about ensuring their lived experience – what home feels like, what worries them, what they need – reaches the judge before decisions are made.

Under the previous system, children’s voices often emerged late in proceedings, after positions had hardened and resources had been expended arguing over arrangements. The Child Impact Report changes this sequence. The judge reads your child’s perspective before the first substantive discussion about arrangements takes place.

The Decision Hearing: Problem-Solving, Not Position-Arguing

Once the Child Impact Report is prepared, a judge reviews it and lists your case for a Decision Hearing, typically 10 to 12 weeks after your initial application.

This hearing operates differently from traditional court proceedings. Rather than asking you to present competing arguments about who should have the children on which weekends, the judge focuses discussion on what your child needs and what must change to provide it.

The judge has already reviewed the Child Impact Report. They know the background, the concerns, and what your child has said. The hearing becomes a discussion about solutions rather than a presentation of problems.

This can feel unfamiliar. You’ve perhaps prepared to explain your position, to present evidence, to counter the other parent’s claims. The judge isn’t particularly interested in that approach. They’re focused on your child’s welfare and what arrangements serve it.

Safeguarding Concerns Don’t Get Overlooked in the Accelerated Timeline

A reasonable worry is whether compressed timescales compromise safety. The model has been designed to identify safeguarding risks – particularly domestic abuse – earlier, not later.

The Family Court Adviser conducts thorough checks with police and Local Authorities before the first substantive hearing. If concerns are identified, your case can be diverted into a different pathway that provides appropriate protection and, where necessary, fact-finding hearings to establish what has occurred.

The process is intended to be more trauma-aware and less adversarial for those who have experienced domestic abuse. Where safety is an issue, the court retains full ability to make protective arrangements before determining final child arrangements.

Three Things to Do Now

Be prepared for early contact from CAFCASS

You won’t have months to prepare your thoughts. The Family Court Adviser will contact you within weeks of your application. Think now about what you need to convey – not about why the other parent is wrong, but about what your child needs and any concerns affecting their welfare.

Frame everything around your child’s experience

When you’re asked about arrangements, the perspective needs to remain child-centred. What does your child need for stability? What disrupts their routine? What causes them anxiety? Your grievances with the other parent matter only to the extent they affect your child’s welfare.

Get legal advice before you apply, not after the process has started

The accelerated timeline means decisions come quickly. Understanding what’s expected, how to present information to CAFCASS effectively, and how to navigate the Decision Hearing makes a substantial difference to outcomes. Once the process has started, you’re already responding rather than preparing. 

Understanding Procedure Is One Thing. Your Specific Situation Is Another.

The Child Focused Courts model aims to resolve disputes within 12 weeks by front-loading information gathering and prioritising children’s voices. During the pilot phase, cases resolved on average 7.5 months quicker than under the previous approach.

You now know how the process works. What that means for your particular circumstances – what you should say to CAFCASS, how to address specific concerns about the other parent, whether your situation requires a different pathway, what realistic outcomes look like given your family’s complexities – requires looking at the details of your case rather than the general framework.

If you’re contemplating court proceedings or have already made an application, a conversation about your specific situation helps you navigate what will be an unfamiliar and compressed process. The court’s paramount consideration remains your child’s welfare – understanding how to present your case within this new framework affects how effectively that welfare is assessed.

To discuss your situation and how the Child Focused Courts procedure applies to your circumstances, contact Fulford Legal Services on 01904 862176 or email fulfordlegalservices@outlook.com.

Andrew Smith is the founder of Fulford Legal Services, a family law solicitor with 20 years’ experience, accredited family mediator, and member of Resolution. He specialises in  divorce, separation, child arrangements, and family mediation in York.