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.
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.
What OurFamilyWizard is for
OurFamilyWizard exists to make communication between two parents accountable. Messages are documented, ToneMeter nudges heated wording down before it sends, the shared calendar handles schedule trades, and expenses route through a system both parents see. Courts across the US order parents onto it precisely because it removes the he-said-she-said around communication. If your conflict lives inside the messages themselves, this is the tool category you need.
What Casewell is for
Casewell documents your experience of co-parenting rather than the conversation between parents. A custody journal entry takes under a minute. Category, child, what happened, when, with the screenshot, photo, or receipt attached to that event.
Entries accumulate into a timeline you can filter by child, category, or date range and export as a professional PDF. A parenting-time record for your attorney, an expense summary with reimbursement status, or a full bundle for family court preparation. The other parent never joins, never sees it, and can't derail it.
The overlap people ask about
Both apps produce records a legal professional can review, and both offer writing support that cools heated language. ToneMeter on messages in OFW, the optional neutral rewrite on journal entries in Casewell. The difference is scope.
OFW's record covers what happened on the platform. Casewell's record covers what you documented from life. The no-show at 5pm, the receipt for the school trip, the pattern across three months of Fridays.
Neither substitutes for the other, which is why the practical answer for many higher-conflict situations is both. The ordered channel for talking, the private journal for everything else.
Cost logic
OurFamilyWizard is priced per parent. So the real cost of the platform is usually two subscriptions, sustained for as long as the order or arrangement lasts. Casewell is one $2.99/week or $49.99/year subscription because there is only ever one user. If you're paying for OFW and mostly using your own notes anyway, you're paying platform prices for journal work. See the alternatives comparison for how that decision usually plays out.
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.
What a coherent UK record looks like
Casewell keeps the dated entry, its source file and any later addition together in one private timeline. When a review is needed, select only the records that answer the question in front of you and share those with a family solicitor.
Try for freeIs Casewell a replacement for OurFamilyWizard?
No. If a court ordered OurFamilyWizard, keep using it as directed. Casewell replaces scattered personal notes, screenshots, and spreadsheets โ the private record on your side. And works alongside any shared platform.
Can I use Casewell and OurFamilyWizard together?
Yes, and parents in higher-conflict situations often should: OFW carries the between-parent communication, Casewell holds your private record of events, expenses, and evidence the shared feed can't capture.
Which is cheaper, Casewell or OurFamilyWizard?
Casewell is one $2.99/week or $49.99/year subscription for the single user. OurFamilyWizard is priced per parent โ check their site for current plans and multiply by two for the realistic total.
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
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate family-law systems, forms and terminology. The official source provides orientation only. This page is a documentation guide, not legal advice.