How the new ‘Child Focused Courts’ will improve arrangements for child contact.
The government has announced that changes to the Family Courts are due to be rolled out nationally, after successfully trialling them in North Wales and Dorset.
The newly dubbed “Child Focused Courts” (previously known as “Pathfinder Courts” during the pilot) will reportedly make the Family Court system “more child focused” and will also help to streamline the process for child contact, and cut the extensive backlogs and lengthy waits for court hearings that have long dogged the family courts.
What are Child Focused Courts?
Child Focused Courts (CFCs) are a move away from the traditional model, which is inherently more adversarial in nature, and instead take a more investigative and problem-solving approach from early on.
Key Differences from the Traditional Model
1. Investigative rather than adversarial:
While the traditional approach in Children matters in the Family Court has been to focus primarily on the competing accounts of the parents in dispute with one another, the Child Focused Courts instead places establishing what is in the interests of the child’s welfare as the first priority from the very start of the process.
2. Earlier information gathering and identification of risks to children:
Where traditionally evidence is gathered and issues are explored over multiple hearings, the new model in CFCs encourages and allows for more evidence to be gathered before the first court hearing via a Child Impact Report, using information from multi-agency sources (e.g. local authority, schools, police, CAFCASS).
Where previously CAFCASS could only perform brief initial enquiries and provide a safeguarding letter ahead of the First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA, i.e. the first court hearing in traditional Children matter court proceedings), before often having court adjourned because a more in-depth Section 7 report was needed, now they can produce a Child Impact Report in advance before anyone needs to attend and pay for a court hearing.
3. Faster resolutions and Lower Costs.
Most cases are closed after just 1 court hearing and within 3 months via the new Child Focused Courts. That’s a massive upgrade on the traditional procedure, which on average takes somewhere between 6 to 12 months and 4 or 5 costly court hearings to reach a Child Arrangement Order.
This is because so much more evidence can be gathered before the first court hearing, which therefore reduces the number of hearing required in most cases, as the court now often has enough information available in the first hearing to enable a decision there and then. By contrast, under the traditional procedures the first hearing (FHDRA) would often be adjourned because more detail (like a section 7 report) was needed. This would in turn mean going away, waiting for court availability, and re-listing the case for another hearing. This is not only costly to clients, but prolongs the dispute and increases the potential for harm to occur to the child.
These delays and costs have often been a barrier for many families, delaying or in some cases discouraging and preventing them entirely from seeking court intervention that could be crucial to their child’s welfare and safety (and indeed their own personal safety too where domestic abuse is present).
Where and when will they be introduced?
The new Child Focused Courts will now be introduced to 14 out of the nation’s 43 court areas after the Lord Chancellor announced that the government would be injecting £17m of funding into the scheme, which will seek to replicate the success of its pilot. The government says it aims to complete a full national rollout of the scheme by 2029.
The full list of counties in which it will operate (as of 2 April 2026):
- Wales,
- Birmingham,
- Hampshire,
- The Isle of Wight,
- West Yorkshire,
- Northumbria,
- North Durham,
- Cleveland and South Durham,
- Lancashire,
- Cumbria,
- York and North Yorkshire,
- Cheshire and Merseyside,
- Northamptonshire,
- And Coventry and Warwickshire.
Do you need help with child contact in Devon and Somerset?
If you are currently going through a family breakdown and are struggling to reach an agreement on child contact, please call or email us today.
While the new scheme has yet to be implemented in Devon or Somerset, our team of highly experienced and compassionate family lawyers can help you resolve child contact issues as quickly and cost effectively as possible.
Call our free legal helpline today for guidance on 0333 888 0404 or send an email to us at [email protected]
