Alexandra Funnell
Co-Head of Department, Partner
On 17 March 2026, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, David Lammy, confirmed the national rollout of the Child Focused Model across every family court in England and Wales. Formerly known as the Pathfinder pilot, the newly renamed Child Focused Court has officially ceased to be a trial and has become the new standard for handling private law children’s cases. For any parent currently in, or contemplating, a dispute about where a child lives or how much time they spend with each parent, this represents the most significant shift in family justice in a generation.
This update sets out what the Child Focused Model is, what has changed, when it will reach your area, and what it means for you in practice.
In brief, the position is as follows. The Pathfinder pilot has formally ended and has been rebranded as the Child Focused Model, also referred to as Child Focused Courts. It is now the national standard for private law children’s cases, not an experiment. Cases in pilot areas have been resolved up to seven and a half months faster, with backlogs more than halving. The Government has committed £17 million for 2026/27, with rollout to all 43 family court areas in England and Wales over the next three years. The model prioritises the voice of the child and the early identification of domestic abuse, replacing the traditional adversarial approach that often pitted parent against parent.
The Child Focused Model is a complete redesign of how private law children’s cases are handled by the family court. These are typically disputes between separated parents concerning living arrangements, contact, or other issues relating to a child’s upbringing.
Under the old system, cases often progressed through multiple hearings before the court had a clear picture of the family. Parents arrived with competing narratives, legal representatives argued those narratives, and the child’s actual experience was frequently the last piece of information to reach the court, rather than the first.
The Child Focused Model reverses this approach. Before the first hearing, a social worker from Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru, or the local authority meets with the child and produces a Child Impact Report. This gives the judge an early, professional understanding of the child’s circumstances, any safeguarding concerns, and, crucially, the child’s own views. The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has described the change as the biggest change in 30 years and a game changer for family justice.
If your case is heard in a Child Focused Court, the process will differ from the traditional approach in several important ways.
Information is gathered at an earlier stage, with the court receiving a Child Impact Report before the first hearing rather than building its understanding over several hearings. Fewer hearings are typically required overall, with cases resolved more quickly and a single hearing often doing the work of several. Domestic abuse and safeguarding concerns are identified at the outset rather than emerging partway through proceedings. Greater multi-agency working takes place, with closer coordination between the court, local authorities, the police, domestic abuse specialists, and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers. The voice of the child is properly heard, with professionals meeting directly with children in around 80% of cases in some Child Focused Court areas. A problem-solving approach replaces the adversarial one, shifting the focus away from which parent wins and onto what genuinely works for the child.
The model is already live across all of Wales and in ten court areas across England, including West Yorkshire, Birmingham and the West Midlands, and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The rollout is phased. During 2026/27, eight further court areas in the North East, North West, East Midlands, and wider Midlands will adopt the model. Between 2027 and 2029, the remaining 24 court centres across England and Wales will follow. By the end of March 2029, every family court in England and Wales will operate under the Child Focused Model.
If your case is currently in a court area still operating the traditional approach, it will continue under the existing rules until your local court transitions. Your solicitor will be able to confirm the position that applies to you.
The old private law system has been the subject of longstanding criticism, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse. The 2020 Harm Panel report highlighted that abuse allegations were too often identified late, explored inconsistently, or lost within procedural delay. Families frequently became trapped in years of litigation while children waited for stability.
The Child Focused Model is a direct structural response to those findings. The evaluations from pilot areas have been encouraging. Family court backlogs in pilot areas more than halved. Cases were resolved up to seven and a half months faster. Fewer parents returned to court because arrangements had broken down. Professionals reported improved multi-agency working and a stronger focus on the child. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, has publicly endorsed the rollout, describing it as a model that prioritises the safety of victims and reduces re-traumatisation.
If you are considering starting court proceedings concerning a child, or if you are responding to an application, there are several practical points to bear in mind.
A social worker is likely to speak with your child at an early stage. This is a deliberate part of the process and is designed to give the court the best possible understanding of the child’s views and welfare. It should not be interpreted as a sign that either parent has done anything wrong. Safeguarding concerns will be addressed at the outset, so any issues of domestic abuse, coercive control, or other harm should be raised early and clearly. Fewer but more substantive hearings should be anticipated, meaning it is essential to attend the first hearing properly prepared, as it carries greater weight than under the previous system. Out-of-court resolution still has a role, and the Child Focused Model sits alongside the existing expectation that parents should attempt to resolve disputes through mediation where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
This is among the most significant aspects of the reform. Under the Child Focused Model, risk is identified before the first hearing through the Child Impact Report. The court determines at an early stage whether a fact-finding hearing is necessary to establish what has occurred. Specialist domestic abuse agencies and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers are more closely integrated into the process. The system has been designed to reduce the re-traumatisation that survivors frequently reported under the old adversarial model.
Parliament is also progressing further reforms alongside the rollout. The Courts and Tribunals Bill proposes to repeal the presumption of parental involvement under the Children Act 1989. If enacted, courts will no longer begin from an assumption that involvement from both parents is automatically in a child’s best interests, and will instead approach each case as an open enquiry into what the welfare of the child actually requires.
Is the Child Focused Model the same as Pathfinder?
Yes. Pathfinder was the name used during the pilot phase. It has now been formally rebranded as the Child Focused Model and is the national standard.
Does it apply to public law cases where a local authority is involved?
No. The Child Focused Model applies to private law children’s cases, meaning disputes between parents or other family members. Public law cases continue to follow the Public Law Outline.
Will my child be spoken to directly?
In the majority of cases, a Cafcass officer, Cafcass Cymru officer, or local authority social worker will meet with the child in order to produce the Child Impact Report. How that conversation is conducted will depend on the child’s age, the circumstances of the case, and any safeguarding factors.
Will the new approach reduce my legal costs?
Potentially, yes. Fewer hearings generally mean lower legal costs overall, although every case is different and more complex matters will still require thorough preparation.
Will all courts adopt the model immediately?
No. The rollout is phased through to March 2029. Until your local court transitions, your case will proceed under the existing process.
Please note the above is for information purposes only and is intended to be a short summary. It should not be treated as a comprehensive guide and should not be acted on without qualified legal advice.
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