Manchester Civil Justice Centre: Family Court Hearing Guide

Part of: Family Court Guides: Find Your Court Before the Hearing

The family court in Manchester sits at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre, 1 Bridge Street West, Manchester M60 9DJ. GOV.UK Find a Court lists the building for child arrangements, divorce, financial remedy, domestic abuse, Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, adoption, forced marriage and female genital mutilation cases. It is one of many buildings where the single family court for England and Wales sits (Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, s.31A). This guide explains what the building is like on the day, how to arrange to wait apart from the other party, and who to contact before you go. It covers the law of England and Wales.

Which family court cases are heard at Manchester Civil Justice Centre?

Manchester Civil Justice Centre is a shared building. Find a Court lists County Court, King’s Bench and Business and Property Courts teams at the same address, so many people in the entrance hall are there for other kinds of case. Between the case types it lists and the family teams it names, it covers these family matters:

• arrangements for children when parents separate, including C100 applications
• divorce hearings and financial remedy
• domestic abuse, Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, forced marriage and female genital mutilation protection
• adoption, and local authority (public law) cases where a child may be taken into care

Your hearing letter tells you where to go, so check it first. If another court transferred your case here, go by the letter, not by where you started. The stages of a case are the same in every building, and our first family court hearing guide walks through them.

Arriving at Manchester Civil Justice Centre: security, lifts and waiting areas

Aim to arrive half an hour ahead of the time on your letter. Earlier is not better: HMCTS warns that people who turn up too early may be sent away when the building is busy (HMCTS, what to expect coming to a court). The time on the letter is when the list starts, so you may wait.

1. The search. Security staff search every visitor and their bags, and every visitor passes through the arch. Anyone with a pacemaker should tell the security officer first.
2. Finding your hearing. Give staff the case number from your letter. Lifts serve every floor, and the courtrooms and hearing rooms have level access.
3. Waiting. There is a public waiting area on the ground floor and another outside each court or hearing room. If you do not want to sit near the other party, ask about the separate witness waiting area.
4. Talking privately. Interview and consultation rooms are available, useful for a private conversation with your lawyer or supporter before you go in.
5. Going in. A member of staff calls your case and points you to your seat. Switch your phone to silent. Notes are fine, but photographs and recordings are not.

Can you wait away from the other parent?

Yes, but ask before the day rather than at the door. HMCTS lists two options it can offer: a seat well away from the other people in your case while you wait, and a screen inside the hearing room that blocks the other party’s view of you. At this building, Find a Court also records a separate witness waiting area and asks you to request details.

Where domestic abuse is part of the picture, the rules shift in your favour. Once it is stated that another party has abused you or may do so, the court has to treat the quality of your evidence, and how well you can take part, as reduced. If you would rather it did not assume that, you can say so. Otherwise it goes on to decide whether you need help, which can mean giving evidence by live link, being shielded from view, or having an intermediary (Family Procedure Rules, rr.3A.2A and 3A.8). For how to make the request, see asking for special measures, while going to court after domestic abuse helps you plan the day itself.

What should you bring on the day?

For a family court hearing in Manchester, pack the first list and leave anything that security would stop at home.

The cafeteria is open on weekdays from 8:30am until 2pm, and chilled water is available. Wi-Fi also covers the whole building, which is useful if you keep your papers on a phone or tablet. If a friend or relative is coming for support, HMCTS asks that only one person comes with you, and staff may turn away anyone extra.

Clothes are up to you within reason: HMCTS asks for respectful dress, and staff can refuse entry to someone dressed inappropriately. Hats and other head coverings come off unless worn for religious reasons. However, face coverings are allowed.

Can you bring your children to the family court in Manchester?

Only if you have no alternative. This building has a separate waiting room for people who have had to bring children, but children must be supervised at all times, and HMCTS is clear that court staff cannot mind a child for you during your hearing. Baby changing is on the ground floor, and HMCTS says you may breastfeed or express milk in any of its court buildings. If you can, arrange childcare for the whole day, as you could wait some time before your case is called.

Who sits in the room during a family hearing?

Hearings at the family court in Manchester follow the same national rules as everywhere else. They take place in private, so nobody can come in simply to watch (FPR r.27.10). The rules list who may be present instead:

• court staff
• the parties and their lawyers
• witnesses
• a Cafcass officer
• lawyers attending to report or research
• accredited journalists
• anyone else the judge allows

A judge may still shut journalists out for a child’s sake or where someone’s safety is at risk (FPR r.27.11). An Independent Domestic Violence Adviser working with you does not need a court order to sit in with you (Practice Direction 27C, referred to in FPR r.3A.2A).

In a children application, Practice Direction 12B (para 14.6) says a Cafcass officer shall attend the first hearing. The government is rolling out a newer child-focused model court area by court area, with a different first stage, so rely on the letter from the court for what your own first hearing involves.

Depending on the case, it may be heard by magistrates, a district judge or a circuit judge. For the right form of words, see how to address a magistrate or judge.

How do you get there, and where can you park?

Driving to the family court in Manchester? There is no parking at the building. Find a Court points drivers to the NCP car park on Bridge Street and to Manchester City Council’s list of city-centre car parks. For directions, open the map pinned on Find a Court, and allow time for the security search when you plan your journey.

If you have a disability, call the court on 0161 240 5000 before the day to arrange help. In addition, the building has:

• accessible toilets on every floor
• a quiet room for prayer or contemplation
• a hearing loop, plus a portable hearing enhancement system by prior arrangement
• staff who welcome assistance dogs
• a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard, on request

Is your hearing by video instead?

Your letter will say if you are joining remotely. The building has video conferencing in its court and hearing rooms, arranged in advance, and Find a Court asks you to raise video queries with the relevant listing team. For family hearings that is the family listings address, manchesterdiaryrota@justice.gov.uk. Above all, join from a quiet, private room where nobody can overhear, with your documents open beside you.

What if a decision about your child cannot wait?

The court must keep in mind the principle that delay in deciding a question about a child’s upbringing is likely to harm the child’s welfare (Children Act 1989, s.1(2)). So if two parents with parental responsibility are stuck on one decision, such as a school place or medical treatment, the answer is often an application for an order that settles that single question (s.8). Our guide to the specific issue order explains it. You apply on form C100, and paper applications for the family court in Manchester go to its family applications team.

No two cases are alike, and no one can promise how a court will decide. What helps in every case is acting early and putting clear, dated information in front of the judge.

Family court Manchester contacts: who to email before your hearing

This building has more than a dozen email addresses on Find a Court, and each team handles different work.

Which Manchester family court team do you need?

Answer three questions to see the right one, taken from the court’s Find a Court page.

Family court Manchester: frequently asked questions

Getting advice when there is no office nearby

We do not have an office in Greater Manchester, and you do not need one near you. Our free initial consultation is a confidential telephone call at a date and time you choose. We listen to what has happened, help you see which issues matter most, and set out the practical options open to you. If you safely can, have your hearing letter to hand when we call.

Preparing for a hearing at the family court in Manchester?

Other buildings are covered in our family court guides, and the FHDRA hearing guide explains the first hearing in a children case.

General information about the law in England and Wales, not advice on your circumstances.