The Child Focused Model (explained in Post 1) is being rolled out area by area. Which process your case follows depends on which Designated Family Judge area handles it, and on when you applied. This post sets out where things stand, and how to find out what applies to you.
Where it is running now
At the time of the March 2026 announcement the model was live in ten of the 43 family court areas. The judiciary's list includes North Wales and Dorset (the original pilot areas from 2022), the whole of Wales, West Yorkshire, Birmingham and the West Midlands, and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Between them these areas handle around a quarter of private law children cases.
Wales is worth singling out. Every family court in Wales now operates the model, so if your case is anywhere in Wales, the Child Focused Model applies.
Where it is going next
The government has allocated £17 million for the 2026 to 2027 financial year to extend the model into the North East, the North West and the East Midlands. The judiciary named the next areas as Northumbria and North Durham, Cleveland and South Durham, Lancashire, Cumbria, York and North Yorkshire, Cheshire and Merseyside, Northamptonshire, and Coventry and Warwickshire.
The stated aim is full coverage of England and Wales by the end of the current Spending Review period, which means within about three years. Areas will switch on in phases rather than all at once.
How to find out which process your case is on
There are three reliable ways.
Look at your court paperwork. If CafcassCafcass is the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. It is independent of the court and of both parents, and its job is to advise the court about what is best for a child. has told you it is preparing a Child Impact Report, you are on the Child Focused Model. If it refers to a safeguarding letter and a First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRAA FHDRA is the first hearing in a children case: a first hearing and dispute resolution appointment. The court looks at what is agreed, what is not, and what needs to happen next.), you are on the Child Arrangements Programme.
Ask the court. The family court that issued your case number can tell you which process it runs. Court contact details are on GOV.UK under "Find a court or tribunal".
Check GOV.UK and the judiciary website. Both publish the current list of Child Focused Court areas. Because the list changes through 2026 and 2027, check the date on anything you read, including this post.
If you applied before your area switched
Cases already in progress when an area switches over are generally handled under the process they started on, though courts have some discretion. If you are unsure, ask the court office and keep a note of what they tell you and when.
If your area is not on the list yet
Your case runs under the Child Arrangements Programme, which Post 5 explains step by step. The preparation is similar either way: a clear account of what has happened, the documents that support it, and a realistic picture of what arrangements would work for your child. Anything you prepare now will be useful whichever process applies.
How familycourt.app and McKenzie can help
When you tell McKenzie which court your case is in, it maps your case to the right process and shows you the stages ahead, with typical timings for each. As areas switch over, the map updates. Document Studio's templates are built for both routes, so a chronology or statement you prepare today works under either.