Guidance

MyHMCTS: How to respond to a family public law order application

Guide for respondent legal representatives using family public law services with MyHMCTS.

• From: HM Courts & Tribunals Service
• Published: 4 May 2022
• Last updated: 12 November 2025
  Show all updates

  1. 12 November 2025

     Added the manage a query guidance.

  2. 15 September 2025

     Added guidance on how to remove a barrister from a case.

  3. 11 July 2025

     Updated the Make an additional application section to include confidential address guidance

  4. 2 October 2024

     Updated the guide to include guidance for adding counsel and colleagues

  5. 20 December 2023

     Added information on how to change the names of children or respondents.

  6. 15 December 2023

     Added new screens and text to upload other documents guide for case file view

  7. 29 August 2023

     Added subsection in main guide about urgent out of hours applications

  8. 28 July 2023

     Added new help information to the guides

  9. 13 June 2023

     Added signposting to appropriate guidance for litigant in person respondents

  10. 16 May 2023

      Changes to guidance and screens to reflect updates in the service

  11. 4 May 2022

      First published.

Documents

Respond to a family public law order application on MyHMCTS

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Details

Use the MyHMCTS service to respond to a family public law application for:

• care orders and interim care orders
• supervision orders and interim supervision orders
• emergency protection orders
• other orders under Part 4 of the Children Act 1989

This guide includes the steps to:

• sign in and find a case
• upload and manage documents, orders and court bundles
• make an additional application

If you are an applicant local authority or legal representative, read our guidance on how to apply for a family public law order.

If you are the child’s parent or guardian and do not have a legal representation, you can read the guidance on care proceeding if your child is taken into care.

Before you start

See Register for MyHMCTS: online case management for professionals for how to create a MyHMCTS organisation account to create, manage, submit and pay for online cases.

See MyHMCTS: how to complete case administration tasks for guidance on case administration tasks in MyHMCTS, such as sharing a case, assigning a case and filing a notice of change or acting.