How long do I have to respond to a C100?

The rules give a respondent 14 days from service of the application to file the C7 and any C1A, unless the court has set a shorter time. Check your covering letter and the notice of hearing for any different date.

Is there a fee for form C7?

No. There is no fee to file a C7, a C1A or a C8. A fee only applies if you make an application of your own.

What if I miss the 14-day deadline for the C7?

The hearing date on your notice stands unless the court changes it. Contact the court office, send the C7 as soon as you can, and attend the hearing. The court decides how to deal with a late response.

Can I respond to a C100 online?

Yes, if your covering letter explains how to access a dashboard on the HMCTS online portal. Otherwise you send the paper C7 to the court by post or to its published email address.

Will Cafcass contact me after I send the C7?

Usually. Cafcass carries out police and local authority checks and, if possible, a telephone interview with each parent before the first hearing. At that stage it only discusses safety.

Served with a C100? How to fill in form C7 (2026 guide)

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

Short answer. Form C7 is the respondent's acknowledgement of a children application such as a C100: it gives the court your details, says whether you oppose the application and flags any safety concerns. The rules say you file it, and any C1A, within 14 days of the application being served on you, unless the court has set a shorter time. There is no fee, and you can send it by post, by email or, if your letter gives access, through the HMCTS online portal.

Key points

Check the date you received the papers and count 14 days from it; note the hearing date as well.
The current paper form is C7 (09.26), updated on gov.uk on 30 September 2026.
Answering yes to question 7, or yes to both parts of question 6, means you also fill in a C1A.
Use form C8 instead of writing your address on the C7 if you want it kept confidential.
Expect Cafcass safeguarding checks and a first hearing, ordinarily in week 5 after issue.

Finding court papers about your child in the post is a shock. The C7 is the first thing the court needs from you, and it is shorter than it looks. This guide goes through it question by question and explains what happens after you send it.

What form C7 is for

When a parent or someone else applies for an order about a child, the people named as respondents are sent the application, a notice of the hearing and a blank C7. The gov.uk page describes the C7 as the way to tell the court whether you agree with or oppose the application. It gives the court your contact details, tells it whether you have a solicitor and flags whether safety is an issue.

Two rules set the deadline. Family Procedure Rules rule 12.32 says a respondent in private law proceedings must file and serve an answer within 14 days beginning with the date the application is served. Practice Direction 12B, paragraph 8.11, says the respondent sends the C7 and, where applicable, the C1A within 14 days after receiving the application, unless the court has specified a shorter time.

When you need it, and what else may go with it

You need a C7 if you are named as a respondent in an application under the Children Act 1989. The form itself lists the applications it answers: C1, C100, C78 or C79. It travels with up to two other forms:

Form C1A, if you have concerns about harm to the children, or want to comment on the C1A the applicant sent. See our C1A guide.
Form C8, if you want your address or other contact details kept from the other party. See our C8 guide.

The C7 does not ask the court for an order. Question 8 asks whether you intend to apply for one, but answering yes is information for the court, not an application. If you do want to apply, ask the court office which form applies in your case.

Fee

There is no fee for filing a C7, a C1A or a C8. Fees only arise if you later make an application of your own, and Help with Fees can reduce or remove those.

Before you start

The date you received the application. Question 4 asks for it, and the 14 days run from service. Write it down now.
The case number and the hearing date from the notice of hearing, which appear on page 1.
The applicant's C1A, if one was enclosed, so you can decide whether to comment.
The right version. The gov.uk form page changed on 30 September 2026, when the process for completing and sending the form was updated. The footer of the current form reads C7 (09.26).
Online or paper. If your covering letter explains how to access a dashboard, you can respond through the HMCTS online portal instead of posting the form.

The form, question by question

Page 1 carries the court, case number, the children's names and the hearing or directions appointment date. Page 2 is the instructions.

About you. Name, date of birth, address, phone and email. Leave the address blank and complete a C8 if you want it kept confidential.
About your solicitor. If you do not have one, write "None".
Address for letters and papers. Where the court should send documents. Again, leave it blank and use a C8 if needed. Missing post is a common cause of missed hearings, so give an address where you will actually receive it.
The date the application was received.
Do you oppose the application? Yes or no. You can oppose part of what is asked and agree with part; the form has no space for detail, and there will be opportunities to explain your position later.
Did you receive a C1A from the applicant? If yes, the form asks whether you wish to comment on it. If you answer yes to both parts, you also fill in the C1A response.
Do you believe the children have suffered or are at risk of harm from domestic abuse, violence in the household, child abduction or other conduct, by anyone caring for, living with or having contact with them? If yes, you also fill in a C1A.
Do you intend to apply to the court for an order?
Will you use an interpreter at court? Say which language. The form says to tell the court now so one can be arranged.
Do you have a disability for which you need assistance or facilities at court? Set out your needs in full. The form warns a hearing may be adjourned if the court does not know.

The form then explains that, in specified circumstances, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 prevents a person accused of abuse and the person making the accusation from questioning each other in person, and that forms EX740 and EX741 may be sent with a court order. It ends with a statement of truth, which you sign and date.

Sending it

By post or email to the court, using the court's published email address, or through the online portal if your letter says so.
Copies. The form says to make copies for the applicant and each party named in the application. Rule 12.32 requires the answer to be filed and served on the parties.
Keep a copy of everything you send and a note of the date and method.

Common mistakes

Missing the 14 days because the papers sat unopened. A late form does not move the hearing date on your notice; if you are late, contact the court office and send the form as soon as you can.
Writing your address on the C7 or on a covering letter after asking for it to be kept confidential.
Ticking yes to question 7 but not sending a C1A.
Treating the C7 as a statement. It is a set of short answers; the court will tell you if and when a statement is needed.
Not mentioning interpreter or disability needs until the day of the hearing.
Showing the papers to the children or discussing the case online. Children cases are private, and publishing material likely to identify a child involved can breach section 97 of the Children Act 1989.

What happens next, and deadlines

Practice Direction 12B sets the usual timetable after issue. Your court's letters always take priority.

Cafcass safeguarding checks. Cafcass (Cafcass Cymru in Wales) checks with the police and the local authority (paragraph 13.3) and, if possible, holds a telephone risk identification interview with each party (13.4). Before the first hearing it only discusses safety with you (13.2). Our Cafcass guide explains the call.
Safeguarding letter. Cafcass writes to the court within 17 working days of receiving the application, and at least 3 working days before the hearing (13.7).
The first hearing (FHDRA). Ordinarily in week 5 after issue and at the latest in week 6 (14.1). Parties must attend unless the court directs otherwise (14.4), and you can bring a McKenzie friend (14.5); see our McKenzie friends page. The court looks at what is agreed, what is not, and any safety issues, and sets the next steps.

If you are asked to prepare for that hearing, our guide to representing yourself covers the route, and our position statement guide covers the short document many courts expect.

Official form

Download form C7 from gov.uk. A Welsh version is on the same page.

If domestic abuse is part of the case, legal aid may be available: check if you can get legal aid.

Where EvidenceCanvas fits, and where it does not. EvidenceCanvas does not fill in, sign, file or serve a C7, C1A or C8, and it sends nothing to the court or the other side. What it can do is help you get organised after being served: upload the application and your own papers, and it suggests the dates it finds with where each came from, for you to confirm. Later it can draft a response to the other side's statement, a chronology or a position statement from your documents. No person reads a draft before you get it, drafts can be wrong, and you check every line.

Questions people ask

How long do I have to respond to a C100?: The rules give a respondent 14 days from service of the application to file the C7 and any C1A, unless the court has set a shorter time. Check your covering letter and the notice of hearing for any different date.
Is there a fee for form C7?: No. There is no fee to file a C7, a C1A or a C8. A fee only applies if you make an application of your own.
What if I miss the 14-day deadline for the C7?: The hearing date on your notice stands unless the court changes it. Contact the court office, send the C7 as soon as you can, and attend the hearing. The court decides how to deal with a late response.
Can I respond to a C100 online?: Yes, if your covering letter explains how to access a dashboard on the HMCTS online portal. Otherwise you send the paper C7 to the court by post or to its published email address.
Will Cafcass contact me after I send the C7?: Usually. Cafcass carries out police and local authority checks and, if possible, a telephone interview with each parent before the first hearing. At that stage it only discusses safety.

Checked on 23 October 2026: gov.uk, form C7 (updated 30 September 2026; form C7 09.26); Family Procedure Rules Part 12 (rules 12.31 and 12.32); Practice Direction 12B (paras 8.11, 13.2 to 13.7, 14.1 and 14.4 to 14.5); Children Act 1989, section 97. General information for England and Wales, not legal advice. Your court's directions take priority over this guide.