The Ministry of Justice has set out the next stages of the Child Focused Courts programme, confirming a phased plan to extend the model across England and Wales by March 2029. The delivery update, published on 28 October 2026, describes progress so far, operational learning and the steps being taken to prepare more family court areas for implementation.
What is the Child Focused Courts model?
The Child Focused Model, previously known as the Private Law Pathfinder, is designed to improve the experience and outcomes of families involved in private law children proceedings. It places particular emphasis on adult and child victims of domestic abuse, early identification of risk, meaningful engagement with children and bespoke support for victims, while seeking to streamline the court process.
Where the model operates, it replaces the previous Child Arrangements Programme for relevant private law proceedings. The programme forms part of the Ministry of Justice’s response to the Harm Panel report, which called for a family justice approach grounded in safety and protection from harm. The Government says the model is intended to help families receive support earlier and enable safer decisions to be made without unnecessary delay.
The October update was published alongside a target operating model setting out the process, multi-agency approach and delivery requirements. The Government says the agreed framework is intended to improve consistency, transparency and accountability as the programme expands.
What does the delivery update show?
Since the previous delivery update in March 2025, the model has been introduced in five additional areas: West Yorkshire in June 2025; Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire in November 2025; and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in January 2026. The programme now covers approximately a quarter of relevant private law children proceedings receipts across England and Wales.
West Yorkshire, the largest court area by private law receipts to implement the model so far, has reported encouraging performance indicators. According to the Ministry of Justice’s management information, cases there were resolved in an average of 19.6 weeks—around 12 weeks faster than before implementation. The outstanding caseload also fell by more than 25% in the three months to June 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
The update also highlights increased direct engagement with children. Across England and Wales, an average of 82% of cases allocated to Cafcass and 87% of cases allocated to Cafcass Cymru under the model included direct engagement with children. The report compares this with 30–37% under the former Child Arrangements Programme. The figures are presented as evidence of a substantial change in how children are involved in proceedings that affect their lives.
These developments are taking place while demand for family courts is rising. The report states that 14,833 private law cases were started between April and June 2026, an 11% increase on the equivalent quarter in 2025. The Ministry says rollout planning will need to take account of local pressures and the capacity of delivery partners.
How will national rollout progress?
The Child Focused Model was operating in 10 of 42 family court areas at the time of the update. Eight more areas are scheduled to begin in November 2026: Coventry and Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Cheshire and Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Cleveland and South Durham, and Northumbria and North Durham. Three further areas—Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough—are planned for January 2027, with dates still to be confirmed.
- Ministry of Justice publishes the delivery update and target operating model.
- Eight family court areas are scheduled to start operating the model.
- Three additional areas are planned to begin, subject to confirmation of launch dates.
- Indicative start dates are being prepared for a further five court areas.
- The Government aims to have implemented the model in all family court areas across England and Wales.
Rollout decisions are made on an area-by-area basis through the cross-system Programme Board, taking account of the readiness of delivery partners. Relevant considerations include social work resources, judicial and court capacity, and proximity to areas already using the model. In England, implementation is being aligned with Cafcass operational service area boundaries to support coordinated training, communications and change management.
London is planned for implementation by the end of 2027, subject to capacity and readiness assessments. The report notes that the region’s high outstanding caseload means a longer preparation period is needed. The remaining areas of the south-east and south-west are expected to be covered by March 2029.
Why is child engagement important?
A central aim of the model is to ensure that children are heard and can meaningfully participate in proceedings with significant consequences for their lives. The update says early adopter research in Dorset and North Wales found positive progress towards a more child-centred and less adversarial process, alongside improved support for domestic abuse survivors.
The Ministry is developing improved reporting on child engagement, hearings, risk assessment and the support offered by domestic abuse specialists. It plans to combine management information from delivery partners with qualitative feedback and practice learning to build a fuller picture of how the model works in practice.
The report also highlights the importance of collaboration between courts, Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru, local authorities, police, legal practitioners and specialist domestic abuse services. Local implementation groups are expected to continue working together after an area moves into steady-state delivery, helping partners respond to emerging pressures and improve practice.
“The coming year will see many more areas operating under the Child Focused Model.”
— Ministry of Justice, Child Focused Courts delivery update, October 2026
What happens next?
The Government says its next priorities are to deliver the model in line with the target operating model and assess its impact on children and families. Work will continue with practitioners and other stakeholders to respond to feedback, improve implementation and strengthen the integration of specialist domestic abuse services into local multi-agency arrangements.
The Ministry has also committed £500,000 to support a second phase of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Family Court Reporting and Review Mechanism. The research is expected to examine three Child Focused Court areas through court observations, engagement with children and survivors of domestic abuse, practitioner interviews and case-file analysis.
The Government has committed £17 million to support expansion into 11 new court areas during the 2026/2027 financial year. Funding details for the remaining 21 areas are still subject to final confirmation. The report states that the ambition remains to have the model operating across England and Wales by the end of the current Spending Review period, with a further delivery update anticipated by the end of 2027.
For family law practitioners, the update signals a continued shift towards earlier risk identification, greater child participation and closer cooperation between agencies. The pace of implementation will depend on local readiness, available capacity and the ability of partners to manage existing cases alongside the new process.
Frequently asked questions
What are Child Focused Courts?
Child Focused Courts use the Child Focused Model for relevant private law children proceedings, with an emphasis on early risk identification, engagement with children and tailored support for victims, including survivors of domestic abuse.
When will the model operate across England and Wales?
The Government’s stated ambition is to implement the model in all family court areas by March 2029. Individual launch dates remain subject to readiness and formal decisions.
How many court areas currently use the model?
The October 2026 delivery update says the model operates in 10 of 42 family court areas, with 11 additional areas planned to start during 2026/2027.
What results does the report highlight?
In West Yorkshire, cases were resolved in an average of 19.6 weeks, around 12 weeks faster than before implementation, and the outstanding caseload fell by more than 25% over the three months to June 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. The report also describes higher levels of direct engagement with children under the model.