How we write and review our guides

Dads Who Care exists to make private family law easier to understand for fathers navigating separation and family court in England and Wales.

Family proceedings can involve unfamiliar terminology, important decisions and a large amount of information. Our aim is to explain the process in clear, practical language without pretending that every case will follow the same path.

The information we publish is educational. It is designed to help you understand what may happen, what different stages and documents mean, and what you may need to think about or prepare.

It is not personalised legal advice.

Our scope

Dads Who Care focuses primarily on private children proceedings in England and Wales.

Our guides cover subjects including:

• child arrangements
• MIAMs and mediation
• C100 applications
• Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru
• court hearings
• allegations and fact-finding hearings
• Section 7 reports and other assessments
• supervised and supported contact
• court documents and preparation
• legal representation
• the cost of family proceedings
• practical issues that can arise during a case

Where the law, procedure or terminology differs between England and Wales, we aim to make that clear.

We do not assume that every case will follow the same route. Courts can order different hearings, reports or assessments depending on the circumstances of the individual case.

How we research our guides

We aim to base factual and procedural information on reliable sources.

Where appropriate, we prioritise primary and official sources such as:

• legislation
• Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions
• GOV.UK
• HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Cafcass
• Cafcass Cymru
• Ministry of Justice publications
• official court forms and guidance
• published judgments and other authoritative legal materials

We also use reputable secondary sources where they help explain a subject more clearly.

Important sources are included in the Sources and references section of our guides where appropriate so that readers can check the underlying information for themselves.

Plain English first

Family law contains a great deal of specialist terminology.

Our job is not simply to repeat that terminology.

We aim to explain:

• what something means
• why it matters
• what usually happens
• what you may be asked to do
• what you may need to prepare
• what could happen next

We use legal terminology where it is necessary, but we try to explain it in ordinary language.

Our goal is that someone encountering the family court system for the first time should be able to understand the guide without already knowing how the system works.

Practical experience

Dads Who Care was created from lived experience of navigating the family court system.

That experience helps us identify the questions, practical problems and areas of confusion that formal legal information can sometimes leave unexplained.

But personal experience is not treated as legal authority.

Where a guide explains the law, court procedure or the role of a professional or organisation, we aim to distinguish factual information from practical observations and experience.

A particular experience in one family court case does not mean another case will unfold in the same way.

Every case is different

Family court decisions depend on the circumstances, evidence and issues before the court.

A guide can explain what commonly happens, but it cannot predict what a judge, Cafcass officer, expert or other professional will decide in an individual case.

Some stages may be skipped. Others may happen more than once. Additional hearings, reports or assessments may be ordered.

Where there is significant uncertainty or variation, our guides should say so rather than presenting one possible outcome as inevitable.

How we review our content

Our guides include a review date where appropriate.

Reviewing a guide may include checking:

• whether the law or procedure has changed
• whether official guidance has been updated
• whether forms, fees or processes have changed
• whether links and sources remain current
• whether the explanation is still clear and useful
• whether additional information would reduce confusion for readers

We do not change review dates simply to make content appear newer.

A review date should reflect a genuine review of the material.

Accuracy and corrections

We take accuracy seriously, but no educational resource is immune from mistakes or changes in the law and court process.

If we identify a material error, we aim to correct it.

Readers can also tell us if they believe something is inaccurate, unclear or out of date.

We would rather correct a mistake than leave misleading information online.

Independence

Dads Who Care is designed around the needs of fathers trying to understand the family court process.

Our educational content is not written to promote a particular Solicitor, Direct Access Barrister, McKenzie Friend or other professional.

Where we discuss professional support, our aim is to explain the available options so that readers can make more informed decisions about the support they may need.

What our guides cannot do

Dads Who Care does not know the full circumstances of your case.

Our guides cannot tell you:

• what application you should make
• what evidence you should rely on
• what arguments you should advance
• what a court is likely to decide in your particular case
• whether you should accept or reject a particular proposal
• whether you need legal representation

Those questions may require advice based on your individual circumstances.

Dads Who Care provides education and practical understanding. It does not replace personalised legal advice.

Our standard

Before publishing or substantially updating a guide, we ask a simple question:

"Will this genuinely reduce confusion for a father trying to understand the family court process?"

If the answer is no, the guide needs more work.

Our aim is not to publish the largest possible library.

It is to build a clear, trustworthy and practical resource that helps fathers understand where they are, what matters now and what may happen next.