A significant shift is underway in how family courts in England and Wales handle private children law cases, and Cheshire and Merseyside is one of the next areas due to implement it.
The Government has announced the national roll-out of Child Focused Courts, previously known as the Private Law Pathfinder. Backed by £17 million in Government funding for 2026/27, the model will initially expand into eight further court areas: Northumbria and North Durham, Cleveland and South Durham, Lancashire, Cumbria, York and North Yorkshire, Cheshire and Merseyside, Northamptonshire, and Coventry and Warwickshire. It will then continue across the rest of England and Wales over the coming financial years.
For parents, solicitors, and contact service providers in the region, this matters. The Child Focused Model changes how cases begin, how risk is identified, and how contact decisions are made. That, in turn, changes what professional supervised contact needs to look like.
This article explains what the new model involves, what the changes mean in practice, and how services like Child Arrangement Resolutions are positioned to support families navigating proceedings under this new framework.
What Is the Child Focused Model?
The Child Focused Model was first piloted in February 2022 in North Wales and Dorset. It is now live in 10 of 43 court areas in England and Wales, including all of Wales, Dorset, West Yorkshire, Birmingham, the West Midlands, and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The model uses a more investigative and problem-solving approach than the traditional private law process. Instead of cases moving through repeated hearings before a fuller picture of the child’s circumstances is built, the Child Focused Model gathers more information earlier. It places the child’s safety, welfare, wishes and lived experience at the centre of proceedings from the start.
It also encourages closer multi-agency working between the court, Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru, local authorities, police, domestic abuse services, and other relevant professionals. The aim is to reduce delay, improve risk identification, support victims of domestic abuse more effectively, and reduce the number of cases returning to court because arrangements have broken down.
In plain terms, it is designed to get to the heart of what is actually happening in a family’s life more quickly, with less reliance on lengthy litigation to build that picture.
The Child Impact Report: A Key Change
One of the most important features of the Child Focused Model is the Child Impact Report. This is prepared by Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru, or a local authority where appropriate. It gives the court a fuller early picture of the child’s circumstances and the impact the dispute is having on them.
The Child Impact Report can include information from the parties and the child, safeguarding checks, local authority information, police information, domestic abuse risk assessments, previous orders, recommendations for next steps, and the child’s wishes and feelings where they can be safely and appropriately obtained.
This is a major practical change. Under the traditional process, private law cases often begin with safeguarding checks and a brief safeguarding letter before moving through further hearings. A more detailed section 7 report may then be ordered later if the court needs it. Under the Child Focused Model, the court receives more detailed information much earlier.
That does not mean a section 7 report disappears in every case. The court may still order a section 7 report or section 37 report where specific welfare issues require it. But the Child Impact Report becomes the central early document that shapes how the case is managed.
For families in Cheshire and Merseyside, this means proceedings may feel different from what many parents have previously experienced or heard about from others. The emphasis from the start is on understanding the child, not simply processing the adults’ competing positions.
What About the Presumption of Parental Involvement?
Alongside the Child Focused Model, another important legal change is being considered. The Courts and Tribunals Bill includes a proposal to repeal the presumption of parental involvement in section 1(2A) of the Children Act 1989.
That presumption currently requires the court to presume, unless the contrary is shown, that the involvement of each parent in the child’s life will further the child’s welfare. The proposed repeal has not yet become law. Until the Bill receives Royal Assent and the relevant provisions come into force, the existing law remains in place.
If enacted, the change would mean courts begin from a more neutral position, assessing each case on the child’s welfare, safety and best interests without a statutory starting assumption in favour of parental involvement. The welfare of the child would remain the court’s paramount consideration.
The practical direction is already clear. Courts are increasingly focused on safety, evidence, and the real impact arrangements have on children. That makes independent, well-documented evidence of contact more important, not less.
What This Means for Supervised Contact in Cheshire and Merseyside
Earlier risk identification changes what is needed upfront
Under the traditional model, the court’s understanding of a family’s circumstances often develops gradually over several hearings. Under the Child Focused Model, risk identification happens earlier and more intensively.
For families where supervised contact is being considered, this means the appropriate level and type of supervision may need to be evidenced much sooner. If you are looking for private child contact supervision Manchester or across Cheshire and Merseyside, having professional contact arrangements in place early can be valuable.
A parent who can show consistent, professionally supervised contact with reliable session records is in a stronger position than a parent relying only on personal accounts of how contact is going.
The Child Impact Report and supervised contact
Where supervised contact is already taking place, session logs and reports can be highly relevant. The Child Impact Report is built from the information available about the child’s circumstances and experiences. If professional supervision is already underway, those records may help show how the child responds to contact, whether boundaries are being respected, whether risk is being managed, and whether arrangements are safe and child-focused.
The article on evidence from court ordered child contact services explains how session evidence is used within proceedings and why the quality and timing of that evidence matters.
A greater emphasis on domestic abuse
A key aim of the Child Focused Model is to identify risk earlier, particularly where domestic abuse or other harm is alleged. The model was developed in response to concerns that family court processes did not always identify or respond to domestic abuse risks early or consistently enough.
In cases involving domestic abuse, supervised contact arrangements must be shaped by a careful risk assessment. It is not enough simply to provide a room and observe. The service needs the experience, structure, and professional judgement to manage safety, emotional impact, handovers, reporting, and any concerns that arise.
CAR’s team has experience in managing supervised contact in cases with a domestic abuse dimension. The article on child supervised contact in domestic abuse situations explains how supervision in these cases needs to be adapted, and why the setting and approach of the service provider are so important.
Multi-agency working becomes more important
The Child Focused Model strengthens coordination between the family court and agencies such as local authorities, police, Cafcass, domestic abuse specialists and other professionals. Contact providers therefore need to work effectively within a wider professional framework.
That means producing reports that are clear, balanced, properly structured and suitable for court use. It also means understanding when information needs to be shared, with whom, and how safeguarding concerns should be escalated.
CAR’s team has long-standing experience in this kind of multi-agency working. The ISW Services page explains how CAR’s qualified Independent Social Workers support assessment, report writing and court processes.
Fewer hearings, but higher stakes
One of the aims of the Child Focused Model is to reduce delay and avoid unnecessary hearings. The Government has reported that pilot areas saw significant reductions in case duration, with some cases resolved up to seven and a half months faster.
For families, that is positive. Children should not spend months or years waiting for stable arrangements. But it also means the evidence available early in the process matters more. If the court is gathering information quickly and moving towards decisions more efficiently, parents need to be prepared from the outset.
For parents navigating child arrangement services Cheshire under the new model, professional contact support, consistent session logs, and independent assessment can give the court a clearer and more reliable evidence base.
What CAR Can Offer Families in Cheshire and Merseyside
Child Arrangement Resolutions is well placed to support families, solicitors and other professionals working within the new Child Focused Model in Cheshire and Merseyside.
CAR’s services include community-based supervised contact, detailed session logging, ISW assessments, court reports, updating reports, and dispute resolution input. These are all directly relevant to the kind of early, child-focused evidence the new model is designed to use.
The article on how child arrangement services work alongside mediation is relevant because the Child Focused Model shares many of the same values as well-managed mediation-led approaches: early understanding, reduced conflict, and practical arrangements that focus on the child.
For fathers with court ordered child contact services for fathers Cheshire in place, or for families dealing with high-conflict proceedings, understanding how the new model changes the evidence landscape is important. CAR can help you navigate that from the first session.
For an overview of how court-ordered supervised contact works within proceedings, the Court Ordered Supervised Contact page gives useful context. For professionals making referrals, the Referrals page sets out how to get in touch.
For those wanting to access professionally supervised contact privately while proceedings are underway, the Private Child Contact Supervision page has more detail.
There is also a dedicated page for professionals working in specific sectors, including the page on child supervised contact services for accountants Cheshire, for families whose professional circumstances add extra considerations to how contact is arranged.
FAQs
When will the Child Focused Model go live in Cheshire and Merseyside?
Cheshire and Merseyside is one of the court areas scheduled to launch the Child Focused Model during the 2026/27 financial year. The exact local implementation date will be confirmed as roll-out progresses.
Will the Child Focused Model apply to my existing case?
That will depend on when your case is active and the transition arrangements in your court area. Your solicitor will be best placed to advise on whether and how the new model applies to your proceedings.
Does the Child Impact Report replace the section 7 report?
Not in every case. The Child Impact Report is an early document prepared under the Child Focused Model. A section 7 report may still be ordered if the court needs focused welfare information on specific issues.
Has the presumption of parental involvement already been removed?
No. The Courts and Tribunals Bill proposes to remove it, but the Bill has not yet become law. Until the change is enacted, the existing presumption remains in force.
How can CAR support families navigating the Child Focused Model?
CAR provides professional supervised contact, detailed documentation, ISW assessments, updating reports and court-ready evidence. Visit the FAQs page for more, or the Why Us page to learn about the team’s experience.
Prepare Now for the Changes Ahead
The Child Focused Model is coming to Cheshire and Merseyside, and it will change what is expected from the very start of proceedings. Families and professionals who understand those changes, and who have the right support in place early, will be better positioned when cases are heard.
Contact Child Arrangement Resolutions today to find out how CAR can support your family, or your clients, as the new model takes effect across the region.