Child Focused Courts: imminent changes to Children Act proceedings
What separating parents need to know about the new approach to private law children cases
A change in emphasis
Private law Children Act proceedings are due to change significantly. The familiar route for disputes about where children live, how much time they spend with each parent, and how important decisions are made is being reshaped around a model now described as Child Focused Courts.
The name is important. The intention is not simply to relabel the existing court process, but to move the attention of the court, Cafcass, local authorities and parents more firmly onto the child’s day-to-day experience of the dispute.
When will this happen?
On 17 March 2026 the Government announced the national rollout of the Child Focused Model, previously known as the Private Law Pathfinder. The model was first piloted in Dorset and North Wales in 2022 and has since been expanded into further court areas, including Wales, Birmingham, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
Cafcass has stated that private law reform will be implemented in all family courts in England and Wales over the next three years. In practice, therefore, many families will see the changes arrive according to local rollout timetables rather than on one single day across the whole country.
Why is the system changing?
The existing system has often been criticised for delay, repeated hearings and a process that can feel adversarial. For children, the effect can be particularly difficult. They may know that adults are arguing about them, but feel that nobody has really asked what the dispute is like from their point of view.
The new model seeks to change that by gathering better information at an earlier stage. It is designed to identify welfare concerns, domestic abuse, risk of harm and the child’s wishes and feelings sooner, so that the first effective hearing is better informed and the court can make safer decisions without unnecessary delay.
The Child Impact Report
One of the central features of the new model is the Child Impact Report. This is intended to place before the court, at an early stage, a clearer picture of the child’s circumstances and the impact of the dispute on them.
That may include information from Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru or the local authority, together with safeguarding checks and, where appropriate, information from other agencies. Where it is safe and suitable, children may be spoken to earlier than would usually have happened under the traditional Child Arrangements Programme.
What this means for parents
Parents should expect the court to be less interested in point-scoring and more interested in practical, child-centred proposals. A parent applying to court will still need to explain what orders they are seeking, but the focus is likely to be on why those arrangements meet the child’s needs and how they can be made to work safely.
That may feel uncomfortable for some parents. A relationship breakdown often brings strong feelings and allegations can be serious. The new approach does not mean that concerns will be ignored. On the contrary, the aim is to identify risk earlier. But it does mean that parents may be encouraged, and sometimes firmly directed, to move away from historic grievances unless they are relevant to the child’s welfare or safety.
Domestic abuse and safeguarding
A key reason for reform is the need to deal better with cases involving domestic abuse and other forms of harm. The Child Focused Courts model is intended to bring risk assessment forward, improve coordination between agencies and ensure that victims of domestic abuse, including children, are identified and supported more effectively.
This is likely to be particularly important where there are allegations of coercive control, intimidation, unsafe handovers, substance misuse, or emotional harm. Early identification should help the court decide whether protective orders, supported contact, a fact-finding hearing or expert involvement is required.
Will cases be quicker?
That is certainly the aim. The Government has said that pilot areas resolved cases up to seven and a half months faster and that backlogs in pilot court areas more than halved. Fewer hearings, earlier information and better judicial case management should reduce the time families spend in proceedings.
However, speed is not the only measure of success. For many families, the real question will be whether the final arrangements are safe, workable and capable of lasting without repeated applications back to court.
Non-court options remain important
The reforms sit alongside a wider movement towards resolving suitable cases away from court where it is safe to do so. Mediation, solicitor negotiation, collaborative law, parenting plans and other forms of non-court dispute resolution may all still have a role.
But court will remain necessary in some cases. Where there is a genuine safeguarding concern, an entrenched dispute, repeated breach of arrangements, relocation, refusal of contact, or a need for urgent orders, an application may still be unavoidable. The difference is that once proceedings begin, the process should be more investigative and more focused on what the child needs.
Practical steps for families
Anyone considering a Children Act application should prepare carefully. It will be helpful to think about the child’s routine, schooling, health, emotional needs, relationships with siblings and wider family, and the practicalities of handovers and communication. Evidence should be relevant, organised and focused on the child rather than on the adult relationship.
Parents should also be ready to explain what has been tried already, what has worked, what has not worked, and what arrangements they believe would be in the child’s best interests. Where there are safety concerns, those should be raised clearly and at the earliest opportunity.
A welcome reform, but not a simple one
Child Focused Courts should make a real difference if the rollout is properly resourced and consistently applied. Earlier information, fewer hearings and a stronger focus on the child’s lived experience are all positive developments.
There will still be difficult cases. Some families will need firm judicial intervention. Some allegations will require careful testing. Some children’s wishes will be complicated, conflicted or influenced by the pressures around them. The court’s task will remain the same: to make decisions according to the child’s welfare. The hope is that the new process will allow that task to be carried out sooner, better and with less damage along the way.
How Fraser Dawbarns can help
The new arrangements have not yet been introduced locally to the Fraser Dawbarns offices in King’s Lynn, Ely, March, Downham Market and Wisbech and we are awaiting an implementation date. In the meantime, our experienced family lawyers are adept at supporting families through the current system and will be happy to discuss your options with you. If you would like individual advice please complete our enquiry form and we’ll be in touch.
How To Contact Us:
To contact a member of our team, you can fill in our online enquiry form, email info@fraserdawbarns.com, or call your nearest office below. If you’d like to speak to a member of our team at one of our offices across Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, visit our offices page.
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This article aims to supply general information, but it is not intended to constitute advice. Every effort is made to ensure that the law referred to is correct at the date of publication and to avoid any statement which may mislead. However, no duty of care is assumed to any person and no liability is accepted for any omission or inaccuracy. Always seek advice specific to your own circumstances. Fraser Dawbarns LLP is always happy to provide such advice