The Ministry of Justice and HM Courts & Tribunals Service have published the operating blueprint for extending Child Focused Courts across England and Wales by March 2029.
The model changes the handling of private-law disputes about where children live, whom they spend time with and the enforcement of existing arrangements. It replaces the existing sequence of safeguarding letters and later section 7 reports with an early Child Impact Report intended to combine safeguarding information, risk assessment, the child’s circumstances and the parties’ views.
The design adopts a “one report, one hearing” approach where possible. Courts will use early gatekeeping to decide whether Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru or a local authority should prepare the report. The blueprint also builds in referral routes for specialist domestic-abuse assessment and support, and expects direct engagement with substantially more children where age, understanding and safety permit.
The document is an operational model, not a new Act of Parliament. Existing Family Procedure Rules and practice directions continue to supply the legal framework. National rollout follows pilots in Dorset and North Wales and is intended to move private child proceedings toward a more investigative, less adversarial process.
Official policy paper: Child Focused Courts Target Operating Model
