North Shields County Court: Your Family Hearing Guide

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

North Shields County Court and Family Court is at Kings Court, Earl Grey Way, Royal Quays, North Shields NE29 6AR. It is open 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and it hears family cases about children, divorce and domestic abuse. The same building also deals with money claims, housing possession and social security, and its counter works by appointment only. This guide sets out who to call, what each type of family case listed here involves, and how the day itself runs. It draws on HMCTS guidance for court visitors and the Family Procedure Rules. If this is your first time in front of a family judge, our guide to your first family court hearing covers the wider process, and our specialists assist and advise at each stage.

It is one of our family court guides, and it covers England and Wales only. Every court detail below comes from the official Find a Court listing, which HMCTS can update at any time, so compare it with your hearing letter before you set off.

Reviewed by: Iblal Iqbal, Partner & Family Law Strategist, Kabir Family Law

How do I contact North Shields County Court?

Calls about a family case go to national contact centres rather than to North Shields County Court itself. Keep your case number beside you when you phone or email.

The listing also carries a warning. Scammers copy genuine HMCTS phone numbers and email addresses, and they may demand payment. If you are unsure, do not pay anything, and report it to Action Fraud.

Where is the court, and is there parking?

The court sits at Kings Court on Earl Grey Way, Royal Quays (NE29 6AR). However, its official listing gives no directions, parking or public transport details. For that reason, plan your journey and any parking before the day, and leave time for the security check.

Our nearest office is in Newcastle, about 6 miles from the court in a straight line.

Inside, the listing describes these facilities:

• a ramp to the entrance, a lift between the ground and first floors, and level access into court and hearing rooms
• a portable hearing enhancement system, if you arrange it in advance
• a welcome for assistance dogs
• Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyards, on request
• eight interview rooms
• video conference facilities, but not prison video links

If you have a disability, get in touch with the court well ahead of the hearing and ask for a reasonable adjustment, such as breaks or a British Sign Language interpreter. For other languages, GOV.UK says you will get an interpreter if your family case involves children, domestic violence or forced marriage. A friend or relative can only interpret for you if the judge agrees first.

Which family cases does North Shields County Court hear?

The official listing names three kinds of family work here: children, divorce and domestic abuse. The building also handles money claims, housing possession, social security and High Court District Registry business, so the building serves people with other kinds of case too.

The family court is one court for England and Wales (Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, s.31A). It can sit anywhere in England and Wales, and it can move cases from place to place (s.31B). That is why your letter may name this building.

Children cases: the first hearing and what follows

Two approaches are in use in England and Wales, so check your letter and any court directions to see which one applies to you.

Under the Child Arrangements Programme, the first hearing is the FHDRA. It should usually take place in week 5 after the court issues the application, and no later than week 6 (PD12B, para 14.1). Each party must attend unless the court says otherwise, and a Cafcass officer attends too (paras 14.4 and 14.6). What you say there is not privileged, so others can refer to it at later hearings (para 14.9). Our guide to what happens at an FHDRA explains that first hearing in more detail.

The Child Focused Court model, formerly called Pathfinder, was running in 10 of the 43 court areas when the government announced its national roll-out in March 2026 (GOV.UK). The judiciary lists Northumbria and North Durham among the next eight areas to launch it in the 2026 to 2027 financial year (judiciary.uk). This model relies on an early Child Impact Report, which shows the court how the dispute affects your child.

Cases about children in care have their own route. The listing gives a separate phone line and email for family public law cases, using a digital process for case numbers that start with C5.

Divorce: who to call and where money questions go

Divorce questions go to the Divorce Contact Centre on 0300 303 0642. The listing shows it answering from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, so it stays open two hours after the building closes.

Financial remedy, which covers money and property after divorce, is not among the listed areas. So if your case is about finances, read your letter carefully, because it may name a different court.

Domestic abuse: asking the court for protection

Applications for protection, such as a non-molestation order or an occupation order, come under the domestic abuse work listed for this court. GOV.UK says there is no fee when you apply for one of these injunctions after domestic abuse.

If you need protection straight away, you can ask for an emergency order without telling the other person first. The court then holds a hearing, which you must attend, and it may make an order at that hearing. If facing the other person worries you, the safety section below sets out what you can ask for.

What happens at North Shields County Court on the day?

These stages follow the HMCTS guidance on what to expect at a court or tribunal, fitted to this building.

1. Security at the entrance. A ramp leads to the entrance. Inside, staff check your bags and pockets, much like at an airport. You may walk through an archway detector, and staff may hold some items until you leave.
2. Finding your room. The case number on your hearing letter tells staff where you need to be. A lift runs between the ground and first floors, and court and hearing rooms have level access.
3. Waiting to be called. The time on your letter is when the whole list starts, so expect to wait. When your case is ready, a member of staff calls you into the hearing room and shows you your seat.
4. In the hearing room. Silence your phone. You can take notes, but you must not take photos or videos. When staff say “all rise if able”, stand if you can.
5. Speaking. Someone explains who speaks and when. You can call a judge “Judge”, and a magistrate “Sir” or “Madam”. If you give evidence, you swear an oath or affirm that it is true.
6. The decision. The judge or magistrates may leave the room to think, then decide on the day or send the decision to you by post later. Once your hearing ends, leave the building.

There is no fixed length, and you can ask a member of staff for a break at any point. Because your case may not be first, arrange childcare and time off work for the whole day rather than for one slot. A short first hearing and a contested final hearing can also look very different, and your notice of hearing tells you which kind you have.

Who can sit in on a North Shields court hearing?

Family hearings are private, which means the general public have no right to be there (FPR r.27.10). The rules then list who may attend (FPR r.27.11):

• the judge or magistrates, and court staff such as the usher
• each party, with any litigation friend or legal team that party has instructed
• at some hearings, an officer from Cafcass, or in Wales a Welsh family proceedings officer
• any witnesses
• accredited journalists, and some authorised legal professionals who attend for research or public legal education
• an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser or Independent Sexual Violence Adviser, who does not need a court order to attend (see the note to FPR r.3A.2A)
• anyone else the court allows

The judge can keep journalists out of all or part of a hearing to protect a child, or for someone’s safety (FPR r.27.11(3)). The law also makes it an offence to publish anything likely to identify a child as involved in these cases (Children Act 1989, s.97).

You can bring one person for support, such as a friend or relative. If you bring more, staff may not let the others in. A McKenzie friend can also sit with you to give moral support, take notes and help with your papers (PD12B, para 14.5).

What can you ask for if you feel unsafe at court?

If you are worried about your safety, contact the court before the day. HMCTS can seat you away from others in your case while you wait. It can also put a screen in the hearing room so the other party cannot see you.

In addition, the judge can make participation directions. These include a screen, a video link and help from an intermediary (FPR r.3A.8). Where the building allows, the judge can also direct separate entrances and waiting areas (PD3AA, para 4.2).

When a party or witness says they are, or may be, a victim of domestic abuse by someone in the case, the court must assume their evidence and participation suffer. It must then consider these measures (FPR r.3A.2A).

In some cases, the law also stops one party questioning the other in person, for example where there is a conviction, caution or charge for a specified offence (Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, s.31R). Our guides to help for vulnerable parties and witnesses and attending court with a domestic abuse history explain more.

What should you pack and wear for a day at North Shields County Court?

HMCTS asks everyone coming to a hearing to bring a few basics, and it bans some items at the door. So before you set off from home, pack:

• your hearing letter, because the case number helps you find your room
• any papers you need for the hearing, kept together in one folder
• food and drink, including water, since not every court building sells refreshments
• a face covering or hand sanitiser, if you want them

Weapons and glass are banned, and the only liquids allowed in are non-alcoholic drinks and hand sanitiser. You also cannot take an e-bike or e-scooter inside, and the court has nowhere to store one, so plan your travel with that in mind.

There is no formal dress code, but dress as you would for a formal public building. Beachwear, fancy dress and clothes with offensive slogans are not suitable, and staff can refuse you entry. Apart from a face covering, you cannot wear anything on your head unless it is for religious reasons. If you are unsure, contact the court before you go.

How ready are you for your North Shields family court hearing?

Work through this in the week before your hearing. Choose what your case is about first, and the points that matter for it appear.

Frequently asked questions about North Shields County Court

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

Expert Tip

Parents often prepare for the journey and forget the conversation. Before the day, write down in a few lines what you want for your child, why, and one thing you could accept. A first hearing is a chance to narrow the issues and look for agreement, and what you say there can be raised again later. If safety is a worry, tell the court before the hearing, not at the door, so there is time to arrange a separate waiting area or a screen.

Hannah Overton, Complex Children Specialist & Client Support