Templates & wording

These are examples, not legal documents

Everything here is wording you can borrow and adapt. It is information, not legal advice, and it explains how things generally work in England & Wales. For anything that goes to a court, check the official templates linked below and get a solicitor to look it over.

The wording examples are pages you can read and copy. The fill-in documents and court orders are Word (.docx) files to download. Anything in [square brackets] is for you to replace. The tone is deliberately calm and child-first, because that is what actually helps in front of the family court.

Messages and letters you can borrow

Readable examples to copy and adapt for the conversations that are hardest to get right.

• First message proposing arrangements: a warm, child-first opener to start agreeing a routine.
• Replying calmly to a hostile message: how to answer a difficult message without making things worse.
• Proposing mediation: suggesting mediation before anything goes near a court.
• Asking the school to keep you in the loop: a short letter to be added to your child’s school communications.
• Travel and holiday consent: asking the other parent’s consent, plus a consent letter to carry when travelling.

Documents

• Parenting plan starter: a simple framework to write down what you have agreed about the children. Download .docx

Court orders

Note

These are for understanding the shape and language of an order. To make an agreement binding you apply on form C100 and a judge must approve it. Always use the official templates for the real thing and get a solicitor to check it.

Start here if you just want to see what an order looks like in plain terms:

• Example: a draft child arrangements (consent) order: a simplified example showing what an agreed order looks like and what the terms mean. Example only. Download .docx
• A sample child arrangements order (Child Law Advice, Coram): a finished order with the terminology explained.

Official court order templates

These are the real templates the family courts use, taken from the judiciary’s Standard Family Orders (Volume 2, Children and Other Orders), version dated October 2023. They are technical, and most people will not need to draft these themselves, but they are here so you can see exactly what the court works from. Check the judiciary’s Standard Orders page and the Standard Orders updates for the latest version before relying on one.

• Final order: the order that sets out who a child lives with and spends time with at the end of a case. Download .docx
• Precedent library: the full menu of standard wording a judge can put into an order. Download .docx
• First hearing directions (no domestic abuse alleged): what the court sets up at the first hearing, the FHDRA. Download .docx
• First hearing directions (domestic abuse alleged): the version used where there are allegations of domestic abuse. Download .docx
• Dispute resolution appointment directions: the later hearing (the DRA) aimed at settling the case. Download .docx
• Enforcement directions: used when a child arrangements order is not being followed. Download .docx
• Permission to remove a child temporarily: for taking a child abroad where consent is refused. Download .docx

Applying

• GOV.UK: apply for a child arrangements order: the C100 route, including formalising an agreement.

Where to get real help

• Family Mediation Council: find a registered mediator and book a MIAM.
• CAFCASS: a free parenting plan you can fill in online.
• AdviceNow: clear, free guides on sorting out child arrangements.
• Citizens Advice: free, independent help understanding your options.

Last reviewed: 9 June 2026. Check the official links above for the current process, forms and fees before you rely on anything here.