The C100 form and the MIAM
Key facts
- The C100 is the form that starts most family court applications about children: child arrangements, prohibited steps and specific issue orders.
- The court fee is £270 as of 13 July 2026.
- Before applying, you must normally attend a MIAM, a meeting with an authorised family mediator, unless an exemption applies.
- The C100 has a dedicated MIAM section: the mediator signs it, or you claim an exemption on the form itself.
- After filing, the case goes through gatekeeping and Cafcass safeguarding checks before a first hearing, the FHDRA.
- Filing a C100 does not end mediation: many couples settle between hearings and never reach a final contest.
The C100 is probably the most used form in the family court. It is how a parent, or sometimes a grandparent or other relative, asks a judge to decide where a child lives, how much time they spend with each parent, or a specific question the adults cannot agree, such as which school the child attends. Before the court will accept it, though, the law asks one thing of the applicant: attend a MIAM.
That link between the form and the meeting confuses a lot of people, so this guide walks through it step by step. It sits within our wider section on NCDR and the law, which explains how courts in England and Wales now steer separating families towards resolving matters outside the courtroom wherever it is safe to do so.
What the C100 form is for
The C100 is the application form for orders under section 8 of the Children Act 1989. Three orders matter here. A child arrangements order settles who a child lives with and when they spend time with each parent. A prohibited steps order stops a parent doing something specific, such as taking the child abroad, without the court’s consent. A specific issue order answers a single defined question, such as which school a child should attend or whether they should have a particular medical treatment.
Whoever applies is the applicant; the other parent (or carer) is the respondent. The court’s decision is governed by the welfare principle in section 1 of the Children Act 1989: the child’s welfare comes first, ahead of what either adult wants.
Most disagreements the C100 deals with, schedules, handovers, holidays, schooling, are exactly the things child arrangements mediation resolves every week, usually faster and at far lower cost than proceedings. That is why the law puts a mediation information meeting in front of the form.
Why the MIAM comes before the C100
A MIAM, short for mediation information and assessment meeting, is a private meeting with an authorised family mediator. The mediator explains how mediation and the other out of court options work, assesses whether they could suit your situation, and screens for safety concerns. It usually costs £100 to £150 per person.
Section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014 makes attending one a legal requirement before issuing a relevant family application, and a C100 application is squarely within that definition. The requirement applies to the applicant; the respondent is expected to attend a MIAM if invited, but cannot be compelled at this stage. If you are unsure whether the rule catches your situation, our guide do I need a MIAM? covers the edge cases, and what happens at a MIAM explains the meeting itself.
The law
Section 10(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014: before making a relevant family application, a person must attend a family mediation information and assessment meeting. Part 3 of the Family Procedure Rules and Practice Direction 3A set out how this works and when exemptions apply.
The MIAM section of the C100
The C100 has a section devoted to the MIAM, and the court checks it before the application is issued. There are three ways to complete it. The first, and most common, is mediator sign-off: the authorised mediator who conducted your MIAM completes and signs the relevant page, confirming you attended and giving their Family Mediation Council registration details. Only an FMC-authorised mediator can do this, which is one reason to check accreditation before booking.
The second route is claiming a MIAM exemption on the form itself. The C100 lists the exemption categories, including evidence of domestic abuse, child protection involvement, genuine urgency, and having already attended a MIAM or NCDR process for the same dispute in the previous four months. You tick the exemption you rely on, and for several categories you must be able to produce evidence. The court can look behind a claimed exemption: if a judge later decides it was not validly claimed, the case can be paused and you can be directed to attend a MIAM after all. The full list is in our MIAM exemptions guide.
The third possibility is mediator sign-off without full mediation: if the mediator assessed the case as unsuitable for mediation, or the other person refused to attend, the mediator records that outcome and you can proceed. A MIAM is not a barrier to court; it is a filter, and it lets genuinely unsuitable cases through quickly.
The fee and how to apply
The court fee for a C100 application is £270 as of 13 July 2026. You can apply online through the GOV.UK service or by post on the paper form, sending it to the court with the fee. People on low incomes or certain benefits may qualify for money off under the government’s Help with Fees scheme, which is worth checking before you pay.
The fee is per application, not per child, so one C100 can cover arrangements for all the children of the family. Remember the fee only opens the court’s door: if the case runs to a final hearing, the real costs are usually solicitors and barristers, which for a fully contested children case commonly run to five figures per person. Mediation, by contrast, is typically charged per session and shared between you.
What happens after you file the C100
First comes gatekeeping. A legal adviser and a district judge review the application on paper, check the MIAM section has been properly completed, and allocate the case to the right level of judge. If the MIAM requirement has not been met and no valid exemption is claimed, the application can be returned or the court can direct the applicant to attend a MIAM before things go further.
Next, Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, carries out safeguarding checks with the police and local authority and speaks to both parents by telephone. It sends the court a safeguarding letter summarising any risk issues. Only then comes the first hearing, the FHDRA, which stands for first hearing dispute resolution appointment. Despite happening inside a courtroom, its purpose is settlement: the judge and a Cafcass officer explore what can be agreed and only timetable further hearings for what cannot.
Since April 2024 the court will also expect both parties to have set out their position on non-court dispute resolution, usually on the FM5 form, and it can adjourn the proceedings to let mediation take place, without needing both parents to agree to the pause.
Mediation does not stop when you file
A common misunderstanding is that issuing a C100 means choosing court instead of mediation. In reality the two run alongside each other all the time. Weeks usually pass between filing and the FHDRA, and more weeks between later hearings; that time can be used to mediate, and agreements reached between hearings can be recorded and put before the court. Judges actively encourage this, and our guide on running court and mediation at the same time explains the mechanics.
If you settle everything, the proceedings can end by agreement, often with a consent order reflecting the arrangements, or simply be withdrawn where no order is needed. A written parenting plan made in mediation covers the same ground as a child arrangements order and can be turned into one by consent if you want it to be enforceable.
Mark, a delivery driver from Swansea, had not seen his daughters, aged six and nine, for two months after an argument with his ex-partner Chloe. He attended a MIAM expecting a formality, but Chloe accepted the mediator’s invitation and they agreed to try two sessions before Mark filed his C100. The first session produced an interim pattern of alternate Saturdays. The second, three weeks later, built it into alternate weekends with a Wednesday tea visit and split school holidays. Mark never filed the form, saving the £270 fee and roughly nine months of proceedings, and the parenting plan they signed has now run for over a year.
The MIAM requirement is often described as a hurdle before court. For Mark and Chloe it worked exactly as parliament intended: the meeting itself became the off-ramp.
Frequently asked questions
Can I file a C100 without attending a MIAM?
Only if a valid exemption applies, such as evidence of domestic abuse, child protection involvement, genuine urgency, or a MIAM attended in the previous four months for the same dispute. You claim the exemption on the C100 itself. If the court later finds it was not valid, it can direct you to attend a MIAM before the case continues.
How much does a C100 application cost?
The court fee is £270 as of 13 July 2026, and one application covers all the children of the family. People on low incomes or qualifying benefits may get some or all of the fee reduced through the Help with Fees scheme. Legal costs on top are your choice: many parents represent themselves.
Does my ex have to attend a MIAM before I can apply?
No. The legal requirement in section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014 applies to the applicant. The respondent is expected to attend a MIAM if invited, and a refusal can be noted, but it does not stop your application. The mediator can sign your C100 once you have attended, whether or not your ex engages.
How long after the MIAM can I use it for a C100?
Four months. The rules treat a MIAM or NCDR process attended within the four months before your application as satisfying the requirement for the same dispute. If more time has passed, you will normally need to attend again before the court will issue your C100, so it makes sense not to sit on a signed form.
Can we keep mediating after the C100 is issued?
Yes, and courts encourage it. Since April 2024 a judge can adjourn children proceedings to allow mediation without both parents agreeing to the pause. Anything you settle in mediation can be recorded in a parenting plan or, if you want it enforceable, put to the court as an agreed order.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Apply for a court order about your children, the C100 application process (accessed July 2026).
- Children Act 1989, section 8, the orders a C100 application asks for (accessed July 2026).
- Children and Families Act 2014, section 10, the MIAM requirement before a relevant family application (accessed July 2026).
- Practice Direction 3A, how the MIAM requirement and exemptions operate (accessed July 2026).
- GOV.UK: Family court fees (EX50), the £270 C100 fee (accessed July 2026).
- Cafcass, the safeguarding checks and letter before the FHDRA (accessed July 2026).