Casewell
How to read this in the UK
Three things need to stay separate in a record. What the arrangement says, what actually happened, and the file that shows it. Blur them together and a reader has to take your word for it. Keep them apart and the record speaks for itself.
The UK is not one family-law system. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own rules, forms and vocabulary. Use the words that appear in your own order or agreement rather than a term borrowed from somewhere else.
Keep the complete source file, not a crop of it. Write events in the order they happened, and say plainly where something is missing or unclear. A family solicitor can work with a record like that. They cannot work with a reconstruction.
What the judge actually reads
In England and Wales, the judge works from a court bundle. That is the set of papers prepared for each hearing. Practice Direction 27A sets the rules for it, and they are strict.
| Document in the bundle | Normal limit |
|---|---|
| Your witness statement | 25 pages, not counting exhibits |
| Agreed chronology (timeline of events) | 10 pages |
| Case summary | 6 pages |
| Whole e-bundle | 350 pages |
Some things are left out of the bundle unless the court directs otherwise. The list includes texts, WhatsApp messages, social media messages, voice notes, photos and notes of contact visits. A particular document can still go in if the judge needs to read it.
The agreed chronology is a short timeline of events. Each entry should be one sentence where possible. It should point to the page in the bundle where the proof sits.
So the most useful thing an app can do is help you turn hundreds of screenshots into a few short, dated lines. Keep the originals safe in case the judge asks to see them. The court-ready reports page shows how that selection works in Casewell.
Entries you can sign your name to
Your witness statement ends with a statement of truth. You sign to say you believe everything in it is true.
That signature matters. Rule 17.6 of the Family Procedure Rules deals with false statements. Contempt of court proceedings can be brought against someone who signs a false statement without an honest belief that it is true.
Your app record often becomes the raw material for that statement. So write each entry the way you would want to sign it.
- Write what you saw or heard, not what you think it meant.
- Say how you know. Were you there, or did someone tell you?
- Keep insults and guesses out, even on a bad night.
A blank note field makes this harder. A better app asks for the parts separately. When it happened, who was there, what happened and how you know.
Dates and edits that stand up to questions
The first question about a written record is often not about the event. It is about when you wrote it. A good app answers that on the page itself.
Check the exported PDF for three things.
- Two dates per entry. When the event happened and when you wrote it down.
- Rough dates marked as rough. If you only remember the week, the page should say so.
- Edits shown. Fixing a typo is normal. A record that changes without a trace is the one people stop trusting.
Casewell prints Event occurred on and Recorded on for every exported entry. If you edit an entry later, the PDF says it was edited after recording and shows how many saved revisions there are. Before you export, it also tells you how many entries were added after the day they happened. That gives you a chance to explain the gap first.
Who you are allowed to show your record to
Once there is a court case about your child, the rules on sharing change.
Section 12 of the Administration of Justice Act 1960 means that publishing information about private family proceedings can be contempt of court. Children cases are among the proceedings with these protections.
Section 97 of the Children Act 1989 goes further. While the relevant proceedings are ongoing, it is an offence to publish anything likely to identify a child as being involved in the case. That covers publishing to the public or to any section of the public. A child's address or school can also identify them.
The Family Procedure Rules say who you can share case information with. Rule 12.73 includes your lawyer, a professional legal adviser and a Cafcass officer. Rule 12.75 also permits limited confidential communication to get support or advice, or to attend a MIAM or mediation. A person you confide in for support generally must not pass that information on under the rule.
Rule 12.73 is clear that these exceptions do not allow sharing with the public at large or any section of the public. A public post, or a large online group, is the risky case.
That affects the app you choose. Pick one where the record stays on your phone until you decide to export it. Send exports to your solicitor, not to social media.
Private record app or shared co-parenting platform
The two kinds of app do different jobs. Many parents end up using both.
A shared platform such as OurFamilyWizard is built for both parents to join. Messages, calendars and expenses sit in one place you can both see. That can suit parents who can keep day-to-day contact to one channel.
A private record app is built for one parent. It holds your notes, the files that back them up and your own expense records. It does not depend on anyone else joining or keeping an account open. Your record is yours alone.
Messages on a shared platform are already dated there. Everything else still needs a home. A late handover, a school phone call, a GP visit or a receipt. A private record app can hold those, with screenshots of the relevant messages attached to the entry they explain.
Where the app keeps your records
Before you put a child's medical letter or a safeguarding worry into any app, find out where it goes.
UK data protection law can apply to an app company of any size when it processes personal information. The ICO says organisations that use personal information, including sole traders, may need to pay a data protection fee unless they are exempt. You can check whether a company appears on the ICO's register of fee payers.
The privacy policy should also answer four questions.
- Are the records and files stored on your phone or on the company's servers?
- Can anyone at the company open them?
- How do backup and restore work if your phone is lost or replaced?
- What can you still open or export if you stop paying?
Casewell says sensitive record payloads and imported attachment files are encrypted in its on-device vault by default. Some non-sensitive index fields remain available for sorting and filtering. Its privacy policy says record content is not automatically uploaded or shared, although limited analytics, purchase, support and optional AI services may process information, and exports are shared when you choose. Test the backup answer for yourself with any app before you rely on it, Casewell included.
Scotland and Northern Ireland work differently
The court bundle rules and the Family Procedure Rules above apply in England and Wales.
Section 12 of the Administration of Justice Act 1960 also extends to Northern Ireland. Section 97 of the Children Act 1989 covers England and Wales only.
Scotland has its own family law, its own courts and its own rules on evidence and privacy. Northern Ireland has its own children legislation and court rules too.
The way you keep a record works everywhere. Dated entries, the source attached and edits shown. The rules on what goes to court, and who you can share it with, depend on where your case is. Ask a family solicitor in the right part of the UK.
A two-week test before you commit
Casewell has a 14-day free trial. Use the checks below to compare an app's entry, export and privacy features before choosing. If an app offers a trial, try the steps during that period. Otherwise, ask the provider about a demo.
- Log three real events from this week. Attach a screenshot to one and a receipt to another. Give the third a rough date.
- Edit one entry the next day.
- Export one child, one category and one week as a PDF.
- Open the PDF on a computer. Could each entry become one line in an agreed chronology?
- Check that each entry shows when it happened and when it was recorded.
- Check that the edit from step 2 is visible on the page.
- Check that each file is named, so it is easy to find if the judge asks for it.
- Read the privacy policy against the four questions above.
These checks help you compare how each app handles an entry and export. Take the PDF to a family solicitor as a working timeline. Let them decide what goes into your statement and what stays private. Our guide to getting ready for a lawyer covers what to bring to that first meeting.
Which part of the UK your case is in
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own family courts and rules. Say which one your case is in, and use the same words your order or plan uses. Only mention addresses or schools when they help explain what happened. Before you treat a private timeline as a court document, check the rules with a solicitor.
Before you share your record
Everything above is about keeping your own record. Before you show any of it to someone else, a few extra steps help.
Work from a copy and leave the original untouched. Take out any private details the reader does not need.
Check that every important sentence links back to a date or a source. If one does not, rewrite the sentence rather than filling the gap with a guess.
Family law is different in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Make clear which one your case is in, and ask a family solicitor what the court rules let you share.
A private record that turns into a short chronology
Casewell keeps each dated entry with the screenshot, receipt or file that supports it. It shows when the event happened and when you recorded it, and marks later edits. When you need a review, filter by date range, child and category, and export a focused PDF for your family solicitor.
Is there a court-approved documentation app in the UK?
No. Family courts in England and Wales do not approve or certify record-keeping apps. The judge works from the court bundle, and the same rules apply whichever app produced your notes. Choose an app for how well its exports help you write a short statement and agreed chronology.
Can I put my text message screenshots in the court bundle?
Not usually. Practice Direction 27A says texts, WhatsApp messages, social media messages, voice notes and photos stay out of the bundle unless the court directs otherwise. A particular message can still go in if the judge needs to read it. Keep the full originals safe and summarise them in dated lines.
Can I post about my custody case in a Facebook group?
Be very careful. Publishing information about private Children Act proceedings can be contempt of court. Section 97 of the Children Act 1989 also makes it an offence to publish anything likely to identify your child as involved in the case, or their address or school. The rules do not allow sharing with the public or any section of the public. Get advice before posting anything.
Who can I show my custody records to?
Under the Family Procedure Rules you can share information about the case with your lawyer, a professional legal adviser and a Cafcass officer, among others. You can also share it in a confidential talk to get support or advice, or to attend a MIAM or mediation. A person you confide in for support generally must not pass it on, except as the rules permit.
What happens if my witness statement turns out to be wrong?
An honest mistake is different from a false statement. Under rule 17.6 of the Family Procedure Rules, contempt of court proceedings can follow a false statement signed without an honest belief that it is true. Tell your solicitor straight away if you spot an error. Writing entries as plain facts at the time helps avoid the problem.
Does it matter where a documentation app stores my records?
Yes. UK data protection law can apply to an app company of any size when it processes personal information. The ICO keeps a register of organisations that pay the data protection fee. Read the privacy policy too. It should say where records are stored, who can open them, how backup works and what you keep if you stop paying.
Does this cover Scotland and Northern Ireland too?
No. England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate family-law systems, forms and terminology. Use this page to keep your own record in order, and get advice from someone who works in your part of the UK.
Sources
Court rules and statutes named here apply in England and Wales unless stated. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems. This is a documentation guide, not legal advice.
- Family Procedure Rules Practice Direction 27A: court bundles
- Family Procedure Rules Part 17: statements of truth, including rule 17.6
- Family Procedure Rules Part 12: communication of information, rules 12.73 and 12.75
- Children Act 1989 section 97: privacy for children involved in certain proceedings
- Administration of Justice Act 1960 section 12: publication of information about proceedings in private
- ICO: data protection fee
- Casewell: Court-ready reports
- GOV.UK: Making child arrangements