Updated: June 2026
Reviewed by Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK. Information reflects current family law and court procedure in England and Wales as of 4th June 2026.
Key Points
- Grandparents do not have an automatic right to apply for contact with a grandchild. In most cases they must first ask the court for permission, known as leave to apply.
- You apply for both leave and the contact order on the same grandparent C100 form, the standard application used for child arrangements.
- When deciding whether to grant leave, the court looks at your connection with the child, the nature of your application, and whether it might disrupt the child’s life.
- A MIAM (a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting) is usually required before you apply, unless an exemption applies.
- The court fee for a C100 application is currently £270, with help available if you are on a low income or certain benefits.
Quick Answer
To apply for contact with a grandchild you use the grandparent C100 form, but because grandparents do not have an automatic right to apply, you must first ask the court for permission, called leave to apply. You request leave and the child arrangements order on the same form. If the court grants leave, your application then proceeds in the normal way.
If you are a grandparent who has lost contact with a grandchild, the grandparent C100 form is the application you will most likely need. Many grandparents are surprised to learn they cannot simply apply to court the way a parent can. The law treats grandparents differently, and there is an extra step to clear first. The good news is that thousands of grandparents go through this process every year, and once you understand how it works it is far less daunting than it first appears.
This guide explains why grandparents do not have an automatic right to apply, how to ask the court for permission, what the court takes into account, and exactly how to complete the C100 once you reach that stage. By the end you will know what to expect and what your next step should be.
Do grandparents have a legal right to see their grandchildren?
In England and Wales, grandparents do not have an automatic legal right to see or spend time with their grandchildren. This often comes as a shock, especially to grandparents who have been closely involved in a child’s life since birth. The law focuses on the welfare of the child rather than the rights of adults around them, so no relative is guaranteed contact.
That said, the courts recognise the value grandparents bring to a child’s life. Where contact is in a child’s best interests, the court can and does make orders in a grandparent’s favour. The starting point is simply that you have to ask for permission before your application can be considered.
The order you are usually seeking is a child arrangements order, which sets out who a child spends time with and when. This is the type of order most relevant to a grandparent child arrangements order application, and it is made under section 8 of the Children Act 1989.
What is leave to apply, and why do grandparents need it?
Leave to apply simply means permission from the court to bring an application. Parents, guardians, and some others can apply for a child arrangements order as of right. Grandparents are not on that automatic list, so they have to take an extra first step and obtain grandparent leave to apply before the court will look at the substance of their case.
The requirement comes from section 10 of the Children Act 1989. In practice it acts as a filter. It is there to prevent applications that have little real connection to the child or that could unsettle the child’s life, while still allowing genuine relationships to be protected.
In many cases the leave stage is not a high hurdle for a grandparent with a real and established relationship with the child. Courts are generally sympathetic to grandparents who have played a meaningful role and who are acting in the child’s interests, not their own.
“We often reassure grandparents that the permission stage is not designed to keep them out. We have seen many cases where a grandparent had a close bond with a child and the court was very willing to hear them. The leave stage is really about showing the court your connection is genuine and that your application is about the child, not about a fallout with the parents.”
Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy, Mediate UK
What the court considers when granting leave
When you ask for grandparent leave to apply, the court weighs up three main factors set out in section 10(9) of the Children Act 1989. These are the things to address clearly in your application.
- The nature of your application: what you are actually asking for, for example regular weekend contact, phone or video calls, or time during school holidays.
- Your connection with the child: how close your relationship is and has been. A grandparent who has helped raise a child will usually have a strong connection to point to.
- Any risk of disruption: whether your proposed application might disrupt the child’s life to such an extent that the child could be harmed by it.
The child’s welfare runs through everything the family court does, under section 1 of the Children Act 1989. Even at the leave stage, the question is always framed around what is best for the child.
Real Example
A grandmother who had cared for her grandson three days a week
One grandmother had looked after her grandson while both parents worked, for three days a week over several years. After the parents separated, contact stopped suddenly. She applied for leave and a child arrangements order. Because she could show a long, regular caring role and a clear, modest request for ongoing contact, the court granted leave without difficulty and the case moved on to consider what arrangements would suit the child. Details have been changed to protect privacy.
The grandparent C100 form: a two-stage application
Here is the part that confuses many people. You do not fill in one form for permission and a separate form for the contact order. The grandparent C100 form handles both. The C100 is the standard application to the family court for orders about children, and you use it to ask for leave and for the child arrangements order at the same time.
In effect, the process runs in two stages on the one form. First the court decides whether to grant you leave. If it does, your application then proceeds to be considered on its merits. To understand the form as a whole, it helps to read our wider guide on what a C100 form is before you start.
How to complete the C100 as a grandparent: step by step
Completing the form as a grandparent is much like completing it as a parent, with a few important differences. Here is how to approach it.
- Attend a MIAM first: in most cases you will need to attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting before you apply, and record it on the form, unless an exemption applies.
Give your details and the child’s details: complete the standard sections about you, the child, and the other people involved, such as the parents.- State that you need permission: the form asks about your relationship to the child and whether you need permission to apply. As a grandparent, you confirm that you are seeking the court’s leave.
- Set out what you are asking for: be specific and realistic. For example, ask for the contact you genuinely want, such as one weekend a month, rather than a vague or sweeping request.
- Explain your connection: use the form, and a short supporting statement if helpful, to describe your relationship with the child and why your application is in the child’s interests.
- Raise any welfare concerns honestly: if there are safety or welfare issues, you may also need form C1A. If you are unsure, our guide to Form C100 vs Form C1A explains the difference.
- Pay the fee and submit: the court fee is currently £270, and most applications are now filed online. You can read more in our guide to family court costs in 2026.
Give your details and the child’s details: complete the standard sections about you, the child, and the other people involved, such as the parents.If you would like a full walkthrough of each section, our step-by-step guide to completing a C100 form takes you through it page by page.
Book Your MIAM
Need a MIAM before your grandparent C100 application?
A MIAM is the required first step before most C100 applications. You can book one with an FMC-accredited mediator, with a signed Section 4 certificate within 48 hours, and an urgent 24 hour option if your matter cannot wait. It is also free if you qualify for legal aid.
Do grandparents need a MIAM before applying?
In most cases, yes. Before you can apply for a child arrangements order, you usually need to attend a MIAM, which is a short meeting with a trained mediator to discuss whether mediation could help resolve matters without going to court. This requirement comes from section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
There are exemptions, for example where there has been domestic abuse or where the matter is urgent. The mediator records on the form whether you attended or whether an exemption applies. To check your own position, see our guide on whether you need a MIAM for a C100 form.
Could mediation help before you reach court?
Many grandparent contact disputes follow a family fallout, and feelings can run high. Court is not always the only way forward. Mediation gives families a calmer space to talk through arrangements, and it can rebuild enough trust for contact to resume without a judge ever being involved. It is also usually faster and far less stressful for everyone, including the child.
Mediate UK
Could mediation help you see your grandchild again?
Many families resolve grandparent contact through mediation and avoid court altogether. Mediate UK can bring everyone together to agree arrangements that work for the child, often more quickly and with far less stress than a court application.
What happens after you submit the form?
Once your grandparent C100 form is submitted, the court will arrange a first hearing, usually within four to six weeks, though busy courts can take longer. Before that hearing, CAFCASS carries out safeguarding checks. The first hearing is known as the FHDRA, and it is where the court considers leave and looks at how to move things forward. You can read more in our guide to what happens after you submit a C100 form.
In Summary
Grandparents do not have an automatic right to apply for contact, so the first step is to ask the court for leave to apply. You do this on the same grandparent C100 form you use for the child arrangements order itself, so the application runs in two stages on one form. The court grants leave by looking at your connection with the child, what you are asking for, and whether it could disrupt the child’s life.
A MIAM is usually required before you apply, the court fee is currently £270, and mediation can sometimes resolve matters without court at all. With a clear, child-focused application and the right help, grandparents regularly succeed in re-establishing contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do grandparents automatically have rights to see grandchildren?
No. In England and Wales grandparents do not have an automatic right to contact. They usually need the court’s permission, called leave to apply, before they can apply for a child arrangements order.
What form do grandparents use to apply for contact?
Grandparents use the C100 form, the same application used for child arrangements orders. You use it to ask for both leave to apply and the contact order, so the application runs in two stages on one form.
How does the court decide whether to grant grandparent leave to apply?
The court looks at the nature of your application, your connection with the child, and whether the application might disrupt the child’s life to the point of harm. A grandparent with a close, established relationship usually has a strong case for leave.
How much does it cost a grandparent to apply for a child arrangements order?
The court fee for a C100 application is currently £270. You may be able to get help with this fee if you are on a low income or certain benefits, through the Help with Fees scheme.
Do grandparents need to attend a MIAM before applying?
In most cases yes. A MIAM is usually required before a C100 application, unless an exemption applies, such as where there has been domestic abuse or the matter is urgent.
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