Form C1A: Allegations of Harm Supplement to C100 (2026 Guide)

Form C1A is a supplemental document that must be filed alongside Form C100 whenever a party in a private law children case wishes to raise allegations of harm, domestic abuse, or other safeguarding concerns. It is not optional. If you have concerns that a child has been harmed, is at risk of harm, or that you yourself have been subjected to domestic abuse, completing this form accurately and in full is one of the most important steps you will take in the entire proceedings.

This guide explains what C1A covers, when you must file it, how to complete it properly, and what happens once it is before the court.

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When Do You Need to File Form C1A?

You must file Form C1A with your C100 application (or response) if you are making any allegation relating to:

• Domestic abuse — including physical, emotional, psychological, financial, or coercive and controlling behaviour — whether directed at you, at the other parent, or at the child
• Physical abuse of a child — including excessive physical chastisement
• Sexual abuse of a child
• Emotional abuse of a child
• Neglect of a child
• Fabricated or induced illness (previously called Munchausen syndrome by proxy)
• Parental substance misuse or alcohol misuse that places a child at risk
• Parental mental health issues that have impacted or may impact the child’s welfare
• Any other safeguarding risk you believe the court should be aware of

The threshold for filing a C1A is low by design. If you have a genuine concern — even if you are unsure whether it meets a legal standard — you should include it. Omitting a known concern at this stage and raising it later in proceedings can be treated as tactical rather than genuine, and this damages your credibility with the judge.

If you are the respondent to a C100 application, you may also file a C1A as part of your response if you have counter-allegations or your own safeguarding concerns. The right to file a C1A is not limited to applicants.

What Is Form C1A Used For?

Form C1A serves several interconnected purposes within the proceedings:

1. Triggering the Practice Direction 12J pathway. Practice Direction 12J of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 requires the court, where allegations of domestic abuse are raised, to follow a specific process that includes identifying the nature and extent of the allegations, considering whether a fact-finding hearing is necessary, and ensuring arrangements for the child’s safety are in place regardless of the outcome of any findings.

2. Alerting Cafcass. When Cafcass receives a case in which a C1A has been filed, it is required to treat the safeguarding checks as a priority. The practitioner preparing the safeguarding letter will specifically address the allegations raised and the risk profile they present.

3. Creating a formal record of your concerns. Everything you write on a C1A becomes part of the court record. This means your concerns are formally before the court from day one, rather than being raised orally at the first hearing and potentially being given less weight.

4. Informing interim arrangements. If the court is considering what contact, if any, should take place pending a final resolution of the case, the existence of a C1A — and its contents — directly informs that decision. A well-completed C1A can be the difference between supervised and unsupervised interim contact.

Step-by-Step Guide to Completing Form C1A

Step 1 — Understand What the Form Is Asking

The C1A is structured around specific categories of harm. Read through the entire form before you start writing. Each section asks you to describe the relevant concern, give examples of incidents, and provide any evidence you hold or can obtain. The form also asks whether you have reported any of the matters to the police or other agencies, and if so, what the outcome was.

Step 2 — Describe Each Concern Clearly and Separately

Do not try to describe multiple different forms of harm in a single paragraph. Separate each concern under the relevant heading. The court and Cafcass need to be able to identify quickly what type of harm you are alleging, the dates and frequency of incidents, and the impact on the child or on you as a parent.

Use plain, factual language. You do not need to use legal terminology. You do not need to characterise behaviour as “domestic abuse” if you are unsure of the legal definition — describe what happened and let the court draw the appropriate characterisation.

Step 3 — Be Specific About Incidents

Vague allegations are given less weight than specific ones. Where you can, include:

• Approximate dates or date ranges
• Location of the incident
• Who was present
• What was said or done
• The immediate effect on the child or on you
• Whether the child witnessed the incident

You are not expected to have perfect recall. Approximate dates (“around Christmas 2023”) are acceptable where you cannot be more precise. What matters is that your account is internally consistent and grounded in actual events.

Step 4 — Identify Any Supporting Evidence

The C1A asks you to list any evidence that supports your allegations. This may include:

• Police call logs or crime reference numbers
• Medical records (GP notes, A&E records, photographs of injuries)
• Records from a domestic abuse support service or refuge
• Text messages, emails, or social media messages
• Witness statements from family members, friends, or neighbours
• School records noting the child’s presentation or disclosures
• Social services records or previous assessments

You do not need to attach all of this evidence to the C1A at the point of filing. You are noting that it exists and can be produced. The court will give directions about disclosure of evidence at the first hearing.

Step 5 — Address the Impact on the Child

The court’s focus is on the child’s welfare. Even where your primary concern is domestic abuse directed at you rather than at the child, you must explain how that abuse has affected, or may affect, the child. This includes indirect harm — for example, a child witnessing abuse, a child being used as a messenger between parents, or a child being exposed to a household where abuse is occurring.

If the concern is direct harm to the child, describe the specific impact on the child’s physical health, emotional wellbeing, behaviour, education, or development.

Step 6 — State What You Are Asking the Court to Do

At the end of the C1A, set out what protective measures you are asking the court to consider. This might include:

• Supervised contact only, pending findings
• Contact to take place at a contact centre
• No direct contact, with indirect contact by letter or card
• A specific prohibited steps order preventing the other party from removing the child
• A referral to MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference) if not already made

Be realistic. The court will not refuse all contact simply because a C1A has been filed. What it will do is consider what arrangement protects the child while the allegations are investigated.

Step 7 — Review for Accuracy and Sign

Everything in your C1A is a statement to the court. Review it carefully. Do not include anything you are not prepared to stand behind and, if necessary, give evidence about at a fact-finding hearing. Sign and date the form.

Step 8 — File Together with Your C100

The C1A must be filed at the same time as the C100. If you realise after filing that you need to add further safeguarding information, apply to the court immediately to file an amended or supplementary document. Do not wait until the first hearing.

Key Deadlines and What to Expect

• At or before issue: C1A must accompany the C100 (or respondent’s C1A must be filed with the response).
• Before the FHDRA: Cafcass will consider the C1A as part of its safeguarding checks and will address the allegations in its safeguarding letter, typically filed within 17 days of service.
• At the FHDRA: The judge will consider whether a fact-finding hearing is required to determine the truth of any disputed allegations before any welfare determination is made. This is a significant procedural decision with major implications for the length and complexity of the case.
• Fact-finding hearing (if ordered): The court will set a timetable, typically leading to a hearing within two to four months of the FHDRA, depending on court availability.

What Happens After C1A Is Filed?

Once a C1A is before the court:

1. Cafcass will carry out enhanced safeguarding checks, specifically looking for any police or local authority records relating to the allegations.
2. At the FHDRA, the judge will decide whether to list a finding of fact hearing or whether the case can proceed to welfare determination without one.
3. If a fact-finding hearing is listed, each party will be required to file a schedule of allegations (a document setting out each alleged incident in a structured format) and a response. The hearing will involve oral evidence and cross-examination.
4. Following a fact-finding hearing, the judge will make findings — conclusions about what did and did not happen. These findings then form the factual basis on which Cafcass prepares a welfare report and the court makes its final order.
5. Where no fact-finding hearing is required, the C1A allegations will nonetheless be considered by the welfare officer in their assessment and by the court in reaching its final decision.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not filing a C1A at all when you have genuine concerns. This is the most serious error. If you raise concerns for the first time at the final hearing, the court will question why they were not mentioned earlier.
2. Treating the C1A as an opportunity to list every grievance about the other parent. The C1A is for safeguarding concerns, not a general list of complaints about parenting style. Overloading it with minor or irrelevant matters can cause the serious concerns to be lost and can reduce your overall credibility.
3. Making allegations you cannot substantiate at all. An allegation that is thoroughly discredited at a fact-finding hearing — particularly if the court finds it was fabricated — can have severe consequences for your own case, including a finding that contact should be increased, not reduced.
4. Being so vague that the allegations cannot be meaningfully investigated. “He was always horrible to me” does not assist the court or Cafcass. Specific incidents with approximate dates do.
5. Failing to explain the impact on the child. The court’s focus is the child’s welfare. An allegation that does not connect to the child’s welfare is far less powerful than one that does.
6. Not listing available evidence. If you have police records, medical records, or digital evidence, the court needs to know they exist so that directions for disclosure can be given.
7. Withdrawing allegations under pressure without seeking independent advice. It is not unusual for pressure to be applied, formally or informally, to withdraw a C1A. If your concerns are genuine, do not withdraw them without taking independent advice first.

The Rules That Apply

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