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Co-parenting · parenting plans

Parenting plan template: what to include

For a parenting plan in the UK, Cafcass's free template is Our Child's Plan, which you fill in online with the other parent, or as a Word version[1][2]. It covers living arrangements, time with each parent, communication, education and health[1][3][2]. It is not legally binding unless a court approves it as a consent order[4][5].

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Last reviewed Sources checked

Prepare with MiamSee the sources
Cafcass's Our Child's Plan[2]
A plan on its own, without a consent order[4]
Mediation voucher, up to[6]

01/ The template

Where to get a parenting plan template

Cafcass, the service that advises the family courts about children, has renamed its parenting plan Our Child's Plan[1]. It is free: you register on the Planning Together for Children site and start a plan[2]. If you cannot use the online version, Cafcass offers a Word version[1].

GOV.UK also has a child arrangements plan service and a PDF template, covering when and where your children spend time with each parent and other contact such as phone calls[4]. See the Cafcass parenting plan guide for how Our Child's Plan works step by step.

02/ What to include

What a parenting plan covers

Cafcass says a plan sets out practical decisions such as living arrangements, education and health care[3], and can cover everything from how you communicate and who does the childcare to where your child lives[1]. Its online plan also prompts you about pocket money and pets[2].

Topics a parenting plan can cover, and where the prompt comes from
TopicWhat to agreePrompted by
Living arrangementsWhere your child livesCafcass[3]
Time with each parentWhen your child is with each of youCafcass[2], GOV.UK[4]
Other contactPhone calls and other contactGOV.UK[4]
HolidaysSchool holidays, bank holidays and teacher training daysCafcass[7]
CommunicationHow you two will communicateCafcass[1]
ChildcareWho is responsible for childcareCafcass[1]
EducationDecisions about schoolCafcass[3][2]
HealthWho organises routine health appointmentsCafcass[7]
MoneyPocket money, and keeping to the money arrangements you agreeCafcass[2][8]
PetsArrangements for petsCafcass[2]

03/ Writing it

How to write a parenting plan

  1. Talk to your child, and to the other parent, about what matters to your child[7].
  2. One of you starts the plan online and makes suggestions; the other gets an email link and agrees or suggests changes, until you settle on a plan[1].
  3. Keep it simple and focused, and do not promise what you might not manage, such as alternate Christmas days if you do not know your shifts[7].
  4. If you both agree, make a version for your child in plain words, and share it only when you are ready to stick to it[1][7].
  5. Revisit it as your child grows: either of you can suggest changes to an agreed plan[4].

04/ Legal status

Is a parenting plan legally binding?

No, not on its own: GOV.UK says a plan made with its service is not legally binding, and the other parent does not have to do what it says[4]. Cafcass describes Our Child's Plan as a document for parents to agree between themselves[1].

To make it binding, a legal adviser can draft a consent order that you both sign; if the court approves it, it becomes legally binding, and there is usually no hearing[5]. See consent orders.

A court only makes an order about a child if that is better for the child than no order[9], and HMCTS says an agreement made between parents is much more likely to work than an order decided by the court[10].

05/ If you go to court

Using your plan at court

Section 5 of the C100 application form asks for any parenting plan to be attached[11]. At the first hearing a Cafcass Family Court Adviser may help you agree, for example with Our Child's Plan, and the court may make a consent order[12]. Cafcass says judges or magistrates are likely to expect you to have a plan in place[3]. See the C100 form.

06/ Safety

When a joint plan is not safe

GOV.UK says not to use its plan service if you feel pressured or intimidated[4]. Where there has been domestic abuse, co-parenting may be difficult or not possible[13]. See domestic abuse support and parallel parenting.

07/ Parenting agreements

Parenting agreement or parenting plan: is there a difference?

GOV.UK calls a written record of what you agree about your children a "child arrangements plan"[4], and Cafcass calls its parenting plan a written agreement between co-parents[1]. Whatever you call it, it is not legally binding on its own[4].

A consent order is different: it is an order the court makes from your agreement, and it is legally binding once the court approves it[5].

08/ Mediation

Using mediation to write a parenting plan

A mediator can help you agree where your child lives, when they spend time with each parent, other contact and living costs, and if suitable can talk to your child[14]. Sessions can be remote, and you do not have to be in the same room as the other parent[15].

If you reach agreement you get a document showing what you agreed; to make it binding, a solicitor drafts a consent order for the court to approve[14].

A voucher of up to £500 is available towards mediation sessions, though it does not cover the MIAM[6][16]. See family mediation and the mediation voucher scheme.

09/ Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free parenting plan template in the UK?

Yes. Cafcass's Our Child's Plan is free online, with a Word version for anyone who cannot use it[2][1]. GOV.UK also has a child arrangements plan service and PDF template[4].

What should a parenting plan include?

Cafcass says living arrangements, education and health care, communication and childcare[3][1]. Its online plan also prompts time with each parent, pocket money and pets[2].

Is a parenting plan legally binding in the UK?

No. It becomes binding only if the court approves it as a consent order[4][5].

Is a parenting agreement the same as a parenting plan?

They describe the same kind of document: a written record of arrangements you agree[1][4]. Neither is legally binding without a consent order[5].

Can a mediator help us write a parenting plan?

Yes. A mediator can help you agree where your child lives, time with each parent and other contact, and you get a document showing what you agreed[14].

Do I attach a parenting plan to a C100?

Yes, if you have one: section 5 of the C100 asks for any parenting plan to be attached[11].

10/ Sources

Sources we checked

  1. How an "Our Child's Plan" (formerly "Parenting Plan") can help — Cafcass
  2. Planning Together for Children Parent Hub — Cafcass · Help in Planning Together for Children — Cafcass
  3. How an "Our Child's Plan" (formerly "Parenting Plan") can help — Cafcass
  4. Make a child arrangements plan — GOV.UK
  5. Make a child arrangements plan — GOV.UK
  6. GOV.UK — Family Mediation Voucher Scheme · GOV.UK news, May 2026
  7. How an "Our Child's Plan" (formerly "Parenting Plan") can help — Cafcass
  8. Resources to help you make arrangements that are in your child's best interests — Cafcass
  9. Children Act 1989, section 1 — legislation.gov.uk
  10. Guide for separated parents: children and the family courts (CB7) — HMCTS, GOV.UK
  11. Form C100 (06.26), sections 1 and 5 — HMCTS
  12. Overview of our involvement with you as you go through the court process — Cafcass · Help in Planning Together for Children — Cafcass
  13. How to support children through a separation or divorce — NSPCC
  14. Make an agreement through mediation — GOV.UK
  15. Make an agreement through mediation — GOV.UK
  16. GOV.UK — mediation · FMC — Mediation vouchers

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