The Family Procedure Rules Committee's annual report for April 2025 to March 2026 summarises rule changes and reviews affecting people in proceedings in the Family Division of the High Court and the family court.
Key facts
- Who: People involved in proceedings in the Family Division of the High Court and the family court, including those affected by appeals from magistrates' decisions
- From: Report updated 3 September 2026; the Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2025 come into force on various dates between January and June 2026
- Source: Family Procedure Rules Committee annual report: April 2025 to March 2026
The Family Procedure Rules Committee makes the rules of court governing practice and procedure in the Family Division of the High Court and the family court. It was established in 2004 under the Courts Act 2003 and is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. Its chair and members are not paid, though they can claim travel and subsistence expenses.
Rule changes in the year
The Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2025 were laid before Parliament on 27 November 2025. Their provisions come into force on various dates between January and June 2026. They:
- amended rule 29.1 so that one party can notify the court that another party's contact details should not be disclosed, strengthening safeguards where there are concerns about confidentiality and safety;
- amended rule 30.3 to introduce a requirement for permission to appeal from decisions of lay justices (magistrates) in the family court, and to provide that applications for permission to appeal must be made to the appeal court rather than to the lay justices;
- removed an obsolete cross-reference in rule 16.4, following the earlier omission of rule 8.42, which raised the minimum age for marriage and civil partnership to 18.
Consultation
The Committee ran one public consultation, from 14 March 2025 to 6 June 2025. It covered a proposed new rule, FPR 25.5A, with amendments to rule 25.2 and Practice Directions 25B and 25C. The proposed changes would require, subject to limited exceptions, that experts instructed in certain family law children proceedings are regulated experts. The stated aim was to ensure that expert evidence relied upon by the court meets appropriate standards of qualification, experience and oversight.
Working groups
Six working groups met during the year: Domestic Abuse, Express Financial Remedies Pilot, Practice Direction 27A Review (bundle preparation), Forms, Private Family Law Early Resolution, and Information Sharing and Transparency. The Domestic Abuse group considered unregulated experts, Practice Direction 12J, section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 ("Jade's Law") and pilot Practice Direction 36ZI on notifying the police of notifiable orders. The Children's Working Group did not meet but was repurposed to review the framework for Child Focused Courts in Practice Direction 36Z and Practice Direction 12B (Pilot).
The Committee met nine times, including an open meeting on 3 November 2025. Practice Direction Updates Nos 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of 2025 and No. 1 of 2026 were introduced in the period.
What this means for people in family proceedings
The report describes changes to the rules rather than any individual case, and how they apply will depend on the circumstances.
- The amendments to rule 30.3 concern appeals from decisions of magistrates in the family court. They introduce a requirement for permission to appeal, with applications made to the appeal court.
- The amendments to rule 29.1 concern confidentiality and safety. They allow one party to notify the court that another party's contact details should not be disclosed.
- The provisions of the 2025 Rules come into force on different dates between January and June 2026, so it is worth checking the dates for the provision that matters to you and getting advice on your own situation before any deadline passes.
Sources
- Family Procedure Rules Committee annual report: April 2025 to March 2026, GOV.UK, updated 3 September 2026