How to fill in form C2 in a children case (2026 guide)

Family court · Forms · England and Wales · Last checked 23 October 2026

Once a children case is running, things change: a hearing date clashes with an operation, a deadline for a statement cannot be met, or someone new needs to be involved. The C2 is the general-purpose form for asking the court to deal with that. This guide follows the form in the order you meet it.

What form C2 is for

The form has three tick boxes on its first page, and each one is a different job:

• Permission to start proceedings. Some people need the court's permission before they can apply for a child arrangements, prohibited steps or specific issue order. Parents and anyone with parental responsibility do not.
• An order or directions in existing proceedings. This is the most common use for a parent already in a case: asking the court to change or add to the timetable it has set, or to make another order inside the same case.
• To be joined as, or cease to be, a party. For example, a relative who wants to take part in an existing case, or a party asking to be removed.

The C2 is a Children Act 1989 form. Divorce, financial and domestic abuse injunction cases have their own forms and procedures.

When you need a C2, and when you do not

Typical reasons a parent without a lawyer uses a C2 in an existing case include:

• asking for more time to file a statement the court has ordered;
• asking for a hearing to be moved, adjourned or held remotely, with the reason and any evidence (for example a hospital letter);
• asking the court for a direction it has not yet made, such as permission to file a document or for a particular witness to attend;
• asking for an interim arrangement to be looked at again before the next hearing.

Permission to apply. Under section 10 of the Children Act 1989, parents, guardians, special guardians and some others (for example someone the child has lived with for three of the last five years) can apply as of right. Others, often grandparents and other relatives, need permission first. When deciding, the court must have particular regard to the nature of the proposed application, the applicant's connection with the child, and any risk that the application would disrupt the child's life to the point of harming them. If you are asking permission, the form's checklist says to send copies of the C100 you want to issue, and a C1A if one applies.

When a different form fits:

• A parent starting a new case about a child uses the C100. See our C100 step-by-step guide.
• Asking the court to enforce a child arrangements order uses form C79. See the C79 guide.
• Some private law orders, such as parental responsibility or permission to change a child's surname or remove a child from the UK, need a separate FM1 form with the application, as the C2 itself explains.
• A non-molestation or occupation order uses form FL401, not a C2.

Fee and Help with Fees

The EX50 family fees list (updated 13 July 2026) sets the amount by the type of request, not by the form:

"On notice" means the other party has been told about the application, whether or not there is a hearing. The gov.uk children's guidance (CB1) says the permission fee is not refundable, and that if permission is granted you do not pay a second fee for the order itself. If you ask for permission or orders under two or more Children Act provisions together, only one fee is paid (the highest).

If money is tight, apply for Help with Fees before or at the same time as you file, and write the reference in the "Help with Fees Ref no." box on the first page. Our EX160 guide explains the tests. Our family court fees guide lists the other fees.

Before you start

• The current version. Download the form from the gov.uk page, which was last updated on 15 June 2026. The version code at the foot of page 1 reads C2 (06.26). The June 2026 change directs people to the confidential details form.
• Your case number and the date and wording of the order you want changed, if there is one.
• Full names and dates of birth of each child, and the details of every party.
• A draft order. Family Procedure Rules Part 18 (rule 18.7) says the application must state what order you are seeking and, briefly, why, and that a draft of the order should be attached. A short draft in plain numbered paragraphs is enough.
• Any evidence you rely on, such as a medical letter. Rule 18.8 says written evidence in support is filed with the application.
• Copies. The form's last page says to send one copy for the court, one for Cafcass or Cafcass Cymru, and one for each party or other person.

The C2 is a fillable PDF. Its signature box was changed in 2020 to allow email submission; check your court's letters for how that court wants applications sent.

The form, section by section

Page 1. Tick which of the three things you are asking for and add any Help with Fees reference. The court fills in the case number and issue date for a new application.

1. Summary of application. Your name, the respondent's name, whether you are applying for permission (or permission is already granted or not needed), any existing case numbers, and each child with their date of birth, the order you are asking for and their relationship to each party.
2. About you. Your names, date and place of birth, and contact details, plus any previous addresses in the last five years. If you do not want the other side to have your contact details, leave them blank and use form C8 (see our C8 guide).
3. The respondents. The same details for each respondent, as far as you know them.
4. Others who should be given notice. For example, someone who cares for the child but is not a parent, with their relationship to each child.
5. Solicitor's details. If you have none, tick No.
6. Details of application. A brief statement of what you want and why. This is where most of the work is (see below).
7. Attending the court. Whether anyone needs an interpreter, help with a disability, or special arrangements such as a separate waiting room.
8. Statement of truth. You sign to confirm the facts are true. A false statement without an honest belief in its truth can lead to contempt proceedings.

The form also explains that a person accused of abuse, or a victim of it, may be prevented from questioning the other in person at a hearing, using forms EX740 and EX741. There is no fee for those.

Writing section 6

Keep it to what the judge needs to decide this one request: what is currently ordered, what you want changed, and the reason. A fictional example: "The order of 3 March directs me to file my statement by 14 April. I was admitted to hospital from 2 to 9 April (letter attached). I ask for the deadline to be extended to 28 April. The hearing date would not need to move."

If the other side agrees, say so and attach their written agreement. Agreement changes the fee band and can allow the court to deal with it on paper.

Common mistakes

• Leaving questions blank instead of writing "not applicable". The form warns that gaps can delay the case.
• No draft order, or a draft that does not match what section 6 asks for.
• Paying the wrong fee, for example £62 when the other side has not agreed and has been notified.
• Sending the C2 too close to the hearing to give the 7 days' notice the rules expect.
• Putting a confidential address in an attached letter or exhibit after leaving it off the form.
• Using section 6 to restate the whole case. A separate statement, if the court wants one, is the place for that; see our position statement guide for hearing documents.

What happens next, and deadlines

• Service. Rule 18.8 says the application must be served as soon as practicable after it is filed, and in most cases at least 7 days before the court deals with it. The court can allow shorter notice.
• Decision on paper. Under rule 18.9 the court can decide without a hearing if it thinks a hearing is not appropriate, or if the parties agree. If a Children Act permission application is refused without a hearing, you can ask for it to be listed for a hearing.
• Without notice orders. If an order is made before the other party is told, the application and evidence are served with the order, and the person can apply to set it aside or vary it within 7 days of service (rules 18.10 and 18.11).
• Permission granted. The court gives directions for the main application to proceed, and Cafcass carries out its usual checks.

Until the court changes an order, the existing order and its deadlines still apply. Keep complying while you wait for a decision.

Official form

Download form C2 from gov.uk. Read the gov.uk guide CB1, family court applications that involve children, which the form refers to throughout.

Free, independent help with procedure is available from organisations such as Support Through Court and Advicenow, and you can check whether you can get legal aid. These organisations are independent and do not endorse EvidenceCanvas.

Where EvidenceCanvas fits, and where it does not. EvidenceCanvas does not fill in, sign, file or serve a C2, and it does not draft the draft order. Where it can help is the paperwork behind the request: you upload your own orders and letters, it suggests the dates it finds with where it found them, and you confirm each one, so the deadlines in section 6 match the documents. It can also draft a statement or position statement from your papers. No person reads a draft before you get it, drafts can be wrong, and you check every line.

Questions people ask

How much does a C2 application cost?

It depends on the request. Asking permission to start Children Act proceedings is £270. In existing proceedings, an application on notice is £195, and one by consent or without notice, such as to adjourn a hearing, is £62, where no other fee is specified. Help with Fees can reduce or remove the fee.

Can I use a C2 to adjourn a hearing?

Yes, a C2 is the usual form for asking the court to adjourn or move a hearing in a Children Act case. Give the reason and any evidence, and say whether the other side agrees. The court decides, and until it does the hearing stays in the list.

Do grandparents need a C2 to apply for a child arrangements order?

Grandparents usually need the court's permission unless they fall into a category in section 10 of the Children Act 1989, for example the child has lived with them for long enough or everyone with parental responsibility consents. Permission is asked for on a C2, sent with the C100 they want to issue.

How much notice does the other side get of a C2?

Under Family Procedure Rules rule 18.8, an application on notice is served as soon as practicable and, in most cases, at least 7 days before the court deals with it. The court can allow shorter notice in urgent cases.

Can the court decide a C2 without a hearing?

Yes. Rule 18.9 lets the court deal with an application on paper if a hearing is not appropriate or the parties agree. If a permission application is refused on paper, you can ask for it to be listed for a hearing.

Checked on 23 October 2026: gov.uk, form C2 (updated 15 June 2026; form C2 06.26) and CB1 guidance; EX50 family court fees (updated 13 July 2026); Family Procedure Rules Part 18 (rules 18.7 to 18.11); Children Act 1989, section 10. General information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Your court's directions take priority over this guide.