Casewell
What an FHDRA is
FHDRA stands for First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment. It is the first hearing in most child arrangements cases in England and Wales, after one parent applies to court on form C100.
It is short and practical: the judge or magistrates, helped by a Cafcass officer, find out what you agree on, what is still disputed and whether anything is unsafe. If you agree, the court can make an order that day, and in many cases it is final. If not, the court decides what happens next and sets a timetable.
It is not a trial, and the judge won't decide disputed allegations at this stage. For the wider process, read our guide to child arrangements law in the UK.
When it happens and how long it lasts
Practice Direction 12B, the Child Arrangements Programme, says the FHDRA should normally take place in the fifth week after the court issues the application. It should be no later than the sixth week, and the other parent should get at least 14 days' notice. Your notice of hearing gives the date, time and place, and says whether you attend in person or remotely.
Courts usually allow about an hour for the hearing itself, but expect to be there longer. If you attend in person, arrive at least an hour early, because the Cafcass officer may want to speak to each of you separately before you go in.
From application to first hearing
These are the Child Arrangements Programme timescales. Your notice of hearing gives the actual date.
The court issues your C100 and sends the other parent a copy with the hearing date.
A legal adviser or judge checks the application, decides who will hear it and may direct a MIAM.
Cafcass checks with the police and the council, and phones each parent about safety only.
Cafcass sends its safeguarding letter to the court, and usually to both parents.
The FHDRA.
Before the hearing: Cafcass safeguarding checks
For a child arrangements application, Cafcass asks the council and the police for information about both parents before the FHDRA. It then tries to phone each of you for a short risk identification interview.
That call is about safety only: under PD12B, the officer won't discuss the rest of the case before the hearing, such as where your child should live. Those points wait for the FHDRA, when both parents can be heard equally. Cafcass won't contact your child before the hearing either.
Use the call to explain any safety concerns clearly, with dates where you have them. Cafcass then sends the court a safeguarding letter at least 3 working days before the hearing. Its policy is to send the letter to both parents as well, unless that would put someone at risk.
Who will be there
A first hearing can feel crowded, so it helps to know who will be there and what each person does before you walk in.
| Who | Their role at the FHDRA |
|---|---|
| A judge, or magistrates with a legal adviser | Runs the hearing and makes any order |
| A Cafcass officer (Cafcass Cymru in Wales) | Must attend, explains the safeguarding letter, helps you try to agree and advises on next steps |
| Both parents | Must attend, unless the court says otherwise |
| Solicitors or barristers | If either parent has one |
| A McKenzie friend | Can sit with you, take notes and quietly advise you |
| An independent domestic violence adviser | Can attend to support you |
| A mediator | Sometimes, where one is available |
Children don't normally attend, and the court will consider how your child's wishes and feelings should be heard later in the case.
What happens at the hearing
PD12B describes the FHDRA as a chance to help parents understand what divides them and reach agreement. At every FHDRA, the Cafcass officer spends time trying to help you resolve some or all of the issues, if it is safe. That might happen at court before you go in, or during a break.
The judge then works through a set list. The main points are:
- Safety: what the safeguarding letter and any C1A forms show, and whether a fact-finding hearing is needed;
- Mediation: whether you've been to a MIAM, and whether mediation or another way of settling could still work;
- Agreement: whether you agree on anything, and whether that agreement is safe for your child;
- Your child's views: whether your child knows about the case, and how their wishes and feelings will be heard;
- Next steps: what is still disputed, which reports are needed and when the next hearing is.
The FHDRA is not confidential. What you say there can be referred to at later hearings, so keep to facts and to your child's needs.
What the court can decide
Most FHDRAs end in one or more of these outcomes, depending on what is agreed and what is still disputed.
| Outcome | What it means |
|---|---|
| You agree | The court checks the agreement is safe and can make an order, often a final one. If safety checks are outstanding, it may adjourn for up to 28 days first |
| Interim arrangements | A temporary order until the next hearing, such as indirect or supervised contact. The court won't make one without the safeguarding checks, except to protect a child |
| A section 7 report | A Cafcass officer or council social worker assesses the family and recommends arrangements |
| A fact-finding hearing | The judge decides disputed allegations, such as domestic abuse, at a separate hearing |
| A parenting course | Planning Together for Children, or Working Together for Children in Wales |
| Mediation | The court can direct a MIAM, or pause the case so you can try mediation |
| The next hearing | Usually a dispute resolution appointment once any report is ready, or sometimes a final hearing |
Before you leave, the judge should give you a copy of the order where possible and explain it, including the date of the next hearing. If anything is unclear, ask before you leave the room.
How to prepare
You don't need to present your whole case at the FHDRA, but you do need to know what you want and why. A parent who arrives with a clear, child-focused proposal is easier for the court and Cafcass to work with.
- Read the safeguarding letter. Note what Cafcass recommends, and mark any factual mistakes so you can raise them.
- Know what you're asking for. Be able to say in a few lines what arrangements you want now and at the end. A short position statement puts it in writing.
- Plan the interim weeks. Have a realistic proposal for the time until the next hearing, including handovers.
- Fill in form FM5 if asked. For cases issued since 29 April 2024, the court can ask each parent to file form FM5, setting out their views on mediation. Check your notice of hearing for the deadline.
- Bring your diary. The court will fix the next hearing date before you leave.
- Arrange support. If you're worried about your safety at court, ask the court in advance about a separate waiting area, and tell Cafcass.
Checklist: what to take to the FHDRA
Pack these the day before, along with anything your notice of hearing asks for.
Raising safety concerns
If you have concerns about domestic abuse or your child's safety, set them out on form C1A, alongside your C100 or C7. The judge has to consider them at the FHDRA under Practice Direction 12J, including whether a fact-finding hearing is needed before any decision about contact.
Be specific about what happened, when, and what you want the court to do now, such as supervised contact until the next hearing. Under section 63 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, a victim of domestic abuse is presumed to be vulnerable. You can ask for special measures, such as a screen or video link. Our guide to fact-finding hearings explains what happens if the other parent denies the allegations.
If your court is a Child Focused Court
In Child Focused Court areas, formerly called Pathfinder courts, the first stage works differently. In March 2026 these covered 10 of the 43 family court areas, including all of Wales, and more areas in England are joining.
Instead of an FHDRA, the court starts with an information-gathering stage, usually without a hearing. A Cafcass officer or social worker speaks to both parents and usually to your child, then writes a Child Impact Report. By around week 8, the court usually holds a decision hearing, where final orders are often made.
If your notice of hearing doesn't mention an FHDRA, ask the court which process applies to you.
After the FHDRA
Many contested cases go on to a section 7 report and then a dispute resolution appointment. Cafcass says a case may be adjourned for weeks or months while a report is prepared. Our section 7 report guide explains what the Cafcass officer will ask you.
Keep to any interim order exactly while you wait, and if a handover goes wrong or contact is missed, note what happened that day. Expect the next hearing to ask how the interim arrangements have worked.
Why a record from today matters
The FHDRA is where the court first hears what is happening for your child, and where interim arrangements are set. The judge and Cafcass will ask what contact looks like now, what has gone wrong and what you're asking for. Clear, dated answers are easier to act on than a general account.
It is also the start of the record the rest of the case relies on. A section 7 officer will ask how the interim arrangements have worked, and any fact-finding hearing will turn on dates. Notes made at the time are far easier to rely on than memories pieced together months later.
Casewell keeps that record on your phone. Log each handover, missed call and incident as it happens, with the screenshots and photos behind it. Every entry shows when you recorded it, and later edits stay visible, so it's clear which notes you made on the day. Before each hearing, export the period as a clear PDF chronology.
Your record is yours alone and depends on no one else's cooperation. Start it before the FHDRA, and every hearing after it begins with facts you've already written down.
Start your record before the first hearing
Casewell is a private journal for separated parents on iPhone and Android. Log each handover, missed call and incident as it happens, and Casewell keeps its date and when you recorded it. Starting before the FHDRA means your record covers the interim arrangements from the first day.
Try for freeWhat does FHDRA stand for?
First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment. It is the first hearing in most child arrangements cases in England and Wales.
How long does an FHDRA last?
Courts usually allow about an hour for the hearing, but expect to be at court for longer. If you attend in person, arrive at least an hour early so the Cafcass officer can speak to you first.
How soon after applying is the FHDRA?
Practice Direction 12B says it should normally be in the fifth week after the court issues the application, and no later than the sixth. The other parent should get at least 14 days' notice.
Can a final order be made at the FHDRA?
Yes, if you both agree and the court is satisfied the agreement is safe for your child. If safety checks are still outstanding, the court may adjourn for up to 28 days before making it.
Do I need a position statement for the FHDRA?
Your order or notice may ask for one, and a short one helps even if it doesn't. Under the March 2026 rules it should be no longer than 3 pages and reach the court and the other parent by 11am on the working day before.
Will my child have to go to the FHDRA?
No. Children don't normally attend, and Cafcass won't contact your child before the hearing. The court will consider how your child's wishes and feelings should be heard.
Can I bring someone with me to the FHDRA?
Yes. A McKenzie friend can sit with you, take notes and quietly advise you. An independent domestic violence adviser can also attend to support you.
What happens after the FHDRA?
If you don't agree, the court gives directions, often for a section 7 report, and lists a dispute resolution appointment. Some cases need a fact-finding hearing first.
Sources
- Practice Direction 12B – Child Arrangements Programme, paragraphs 9, 13, 14 and 19
- Practice Direction 12J – Child arrangements and contact orders: domestic abuse and harm
- Family Procedure Rules 2010, Part 3, rule 3.3: the court's duty to consider non-court dispute resolution
- GOV.UK: Statement of position on non-court dispute resolution (form FM5)
- Cafcass: What happens in private law proceedings
- Cafcass: Reporting to court policy (version 3.5, January 2024), paragraph 4.2
- Practice Direction 27A – Family Proceedings: Court Bundles (in force 2 March 2026)
- Domestic Abuse Act 2021, section 63: special measures in family proceedings
- Family Procedure Rules: Practice direction update (Pathfinder pilot, PD36Z and PD12B (Pilot)), 2025
- St Philips Chambers: Pathfinder courts rebranded – the rise of child-focused courts
- Community Care: Government invests in social work posts at Cafcass in rollout of new family court model (18 March 2026)
- Stephens Scown: FHDRA – first hearing