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Thanks to your help I have finished my C100 form and got the mediator to sign it.
Next is getting it to the court, how much it costs and any good advice on how to prepare myself to represent myself.
Any advice is gratefully received, there's nothing I have ever done more important and wholey consuming than this
Hi Dale
That's great, it's the first step n your journey and we will help as much as we can.
As far as the cost is concerned, the court fee will be £215 to submit the application. If you are on a low income or receiving benefits, you may be entitled to an exemption from this charge and you would need form EX160a to claim this.
You will need to submit the original C100 form plus three copies, the court will keep the original, one copy will go to you, one to the mother and a copy to CAFCASS. At some point before the first hearing CAFCASS will want to contact you for a telephone interview to enable them to write a brief schedule 2 letter for the court. This is a short report about your situation, if there are any safeguarding issues and it will also cover any previous involvement you or the mother have had with police or Social Services.
Some people attach a brief 1-2 page position statement to their C100 application, this can help the Court understand the issues and what you would like to happen, however this isn't neccessary and you are likely to be asked to write one at some point in the court proceedings.
Generally, once you have submitted your application you should hear back from the court within
1 - 2 weeks with a date for the first hearing. This will usually be in 4 - 6 weeks, but it can be longer depending on how busy the court is.
Here's a step by step guide to the court proceedings that you may find helpful
https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/family-justice-reform/pd-12b-cap.pdf
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