The main idea is simple:

The court tries to understand your child and your family's circumstances as early as possible.

Before asking parents to come to court, the court will usually arrange for information to be gathered about the child and the family. This normally includes finding out about:

• what life is like for your child;
• what your child thinks and feels, where it is appropriate to ask them;
• what each parent or carer thinks should happen;
• any concerns about your child's safety or welfare;
• any concerns about domestic abuse or other harm; and
• whether some or all of the issues can be safely resolved by agreement.

This information helps the court decide what should happen next. 

The law about how the court makes decisions concerning children has not changed. Your child's welfare remains the court's most important consideration. It is the way the case is dealt with that is different.

Under the previous system, parents would usually come to an early hearing called a First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA). More information might then be gathered and there could be further reports and hearings.

Child Focused Courts work differently.

Much more information about the child and family is gathered before the first hearing that parents normally attend.

There is usually no FHDRA. Instead, the important information is brought together at an early stage in a Child Impact Report. 

The aim is not simply to make cases quicker. It is to help the court make decisions which are safe, focused on the child's welfare and likely to work in practice. 

There are several stages:

The court will first look at the application and decide what needs to happen.

You will not normally have to attend court for this.

The court will consider whether anything needs urgent attention and what information it needs about your child and family. In most cases, the court will arrange for a Child Impact Report to be prepared. 

You may see this first stage described in court documents as "Gatekeeping 1" or"GK1".

The court will send you an order telling you what it has decided.

Read every court order carefully. 

It will tell you what happens next and whether there is anything you need to do by a particular date.
 

The Child Impact Report will be prepared by a social worker.

Often that person will work for Cafcass. Cafcass is the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, an organisation which advises the Family Court about children's welfare.

If Children's Services from your local council are already involved with your child, the court may instead ask the local authority to prepare the report. 

The person preparing the report will gather information about your child and family. This can include:

• talking to you and the other parent or adults involved;
• obtaining information from the police and Children's Services;
• considering relevant previous involvement with your family;
• considering any concerns about domestic abuse or other harm;
• talking to your child, or finding another suitable way of obtaining their views, if that is appropriate for their age and understanding; and
• considering whether there are safe ways of resolving the dispute.

A central part of a Child Focused Court is making sure that the court understands your child's experience.

Where appropriate, the person preparing the Child Impact Report will speak to your child. How this is done will depend upon the child's age, understanding and individual needs. 

Children are not being asked to choose between their parents.

They are being given an opportunity, where appropriate, to explain what life is like for them, what matters to them and what they would like the adults making decisions about them to understand.

Your child's wishes and feelings are important, but they do not decide the case. The court considers them alongside all the other relevant information when deciding what is best for the child.

The court should also consider how its eventual decision will be explained to your child. 

The information gathered is brought together in a Child Impact Report, sometimes shortened to CIR.

The report helps the court understand:

• your child's circumstances;
• what life is like for your child;
• your child's wishes and feelings, where appropriate;
• what the adults say;
• relevant information from other agencies;
• any risks or safety concerns;
• how the family situation is affecting the child;
• the options available to the court; and
• what the report writer recommends should happen. 

The report should focus on your child and what arrangements are likely to be best for them.

Once the Child Impact Report is available, a judge or legal adviser will look at the case again.

You will not normally have to attend court for this stage. You may see this called "Gatekeeping 2" or "GK2". 

The court will consider the Child Impact Report and the other information available and decide what needs to happen next. Several things are possible.

If everyone has agreed arrangements and the court considers them appropriate, the court may be able to make a final order without you having to attend a hearing. 

The court can give directions for any further information or work that is necessary. 

If an important issue remains unresolved, the Court will be likely to list a Decision Hearing.

For many families, the Decision Hearing will be the first time they have to attend court.

The hearing may be before a judge or magistrates. Your court order will tell you when and where the hearing will take place and what you must do beforehand.

By this stage, the court should have the Child Impact Report and therefore have a clearer picture of your child, your family's circumstances and the things you disagree about. 

The court will focus on what arrangements are in your child's best interests.

The judge or magistrates may discuss the issues with you and explore whether a safe agreement can be reached. You may be asked to think about the problem from your child's point of view and about arrangements which could work for your child in the future. 

If you cannot agree, the court may decide the issues and make a final order if it has enough information to make a fair and safe decision. 

You should therefore come to a Decision Hearing prepared for the possibility that the court may make a final decision about your child that day.  

Not every case can be resolved at a Decision Hearing.

Sometimes the court needs more information before it can safely make a final decision.

There may also be an important disagreement about something that has happened in the past which the court needs to decide before it can decide what is best for the child. The court may then arrange a fact-finding hearing, at which evidence is heard and the court decides what did or did not happen. 

If further steps are necessary, the court will make an order explaining what needs to happen next.

This means that Child Focused Courts do not mean that every case will finish after one report and one hearing.

The aim is instead to identify as early as possible what really needs to be investigated and decided.

Domestic abuse and other concerns about harm are considered as part of the information-gathering process.

Where domestic abuse is raised, specialist domestic abuse services may become involved. An Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) may provide support and carry out a risk assessment which can help inform the Child Impact Report. 

If allegations are disputed and the court needs to decide whether they are true before it can decide what is best for the child, the court will consider whether a fact-finding hearing is necessary. 

The court does not treat an allegation as proved simply because it has been made.

In particular, read each court order carefully. An order may tell you to provide information or documents by a particular date.

Make sure that the court and the person preparing the Child Impact Report have your current telephone number, email address and other necessary contact details.

Explain what you think is important for your child, what you are worried about and what arrangements you think would work.

If your child is going to speak to Cafcass or a social worker, reassure them that they can say what they really think.

Do not tell your child what to say.

The purpose is to understand your child's experience, not to ask the child to choose between adults.

Try to separate the issues on which you agree from the things which really need the court to decide.

If you need special arrangements to enable you to participate safely in a hearing, tell the court as early as possible. More information about being safe at court is available here.

Think about:

• What does my child need?
• What is my child experiencing at the moment?
• What am I asking the court to decide?
• Why do I think that would be best for my child?
• What am I worried about?
• What could I agree to?
• Is there a safe and practical compromise?
• What could I do differently to make things easier for my child?

A Child Focused Court is not about deciding which parent has "won".

The court wants to understand what life is like for your child, whether there are any risks to their welfare, what your child needs and what arrangements are in their best interests.

Where it is safe and possible, the court will encourage families to find arrangements that work for their child without unnecessary conflict.

Where parents cannot agree, the court will make the decision.