Slough County Court: What to Expect at a Family Hearing

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

Slough County Court and Family Court sits at The Law Courts on Windsor Road and handles family cases about children, divorce and domestic abuse. If your hearing is there, arrive 30 minutes early, expect airport-style security, and expect a private hearing that the public cannot attend. Our guide to your first family court hearing explains each type of hearing, while this page covers the day itself. It covers the law of England and Wales.

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

Where is Slough County Court and when is it open?

These details come from the court’s entry on Find a Court, the official HMCTS directory.

• Visit: The Law Courts, Windsor Road, Slough, SL1 2HE.
• Write to: Administration Centre, Reading County Court, 160-163 Friar Street, Reading, RG1 1HE.
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. The counter opens by prior appointment only.
• Family enquiries: [email protected], which also takes C100 applications.
• Phone: 0300 123 5577 for the national civil and family contact centre (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm), or 0300 303 0642 for the divorce contact centre (Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm).

Always quote your case number. Find a Court also lists the former East Berkshire Magistrates’ Court as no longer in service, so go by the court and address on your notice of hearing. HMCTS warns that scammers copy its phone numbers and email addresses, so never pay anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

What happens on the day of your hearing?

On the day, a family hearing usually runs in this order. The steps draw on HMCTS guidance and, for children cases, the Child Arrangements Programme (Practice Direction 12B).

1. Check your notice of hearing. It gives the date, the time and the court. Bring it with you, because the case number helps staff direct you.
2. Arrive 30 minutes before your time. Do not come much earlier, as HMCTS says you may be turned away at busy times.
3. Go through security. Staff check bags and pockets as they would at an airport. You may also walk through an archway detector, and staff may hold some items until you leave.
4. Wait to be called. Let a member of staff know you are there. If you asked to wait apart from the other party, remind them when you arrive.
5. Meet the Cafcass officer, if it is a first children hearing. Where practicable, the officer speaks to each party separately before the hearing (PD12B, para 14.7).
6. Go into the hearing room. Staff show you where to sit. Silence your phone, and stand when asked to “all rise” if you are able.
7. Take part. Someone explains who speaks and when. If you give evidence, you first swear an oath or make an affirmation that it is true.
8. Hear what happens next. The judge may decide on the day or send the decision by post later. If you do not agree everything, the court sets out the next steps (PD12B, para 14.11).
9. Leave the building. HMCTS asks you to leave straight after your hearing.

Who will be in the room at a family hearing?

Family hearings take place in private, which means the general public has no right to be there (FPR r.27.10). The rules then limit who can be present (r.27.11). HMCTS explains each role in its guide to who’s who in courts and tribunals.

• The judge or magistrates hearing your case, and court staff such as the usher.
• You and the other party. Unless the court says otherwise, each party must attend (r.27.3).
• Each party’s legal team, if they have one.
• A Cafcass officer at the first hearing in a children case, and sometimes a mediator (PD12B, para 14.6).
• A McKenzie Friend, if you choose one, who can give moral support, take notes and help with your papers (PD12B, para 14.5).
• Witnesses, when the court needs to hear evidence.
• Accredited journalists, and legal professionals allowed in for reporting, research or public legal education. However, the court can exclude them, for example to protect a child (r.27.11(3)).
• Anyone else the court allows. An Independent Domestic Violence Adviser can also attend without a court order (Practice Direction 27C).

What should you bring to Slough County Court?

HMCTS asks everyone coming to Slough County Court, or any other court, to bring these things:

• Your hearing letter, because the case number helps you find where to go in the building.
• Any papers you need for the hearing.
• Food and drink, including water, since not every building has refreshments.

For a first children hearing, the court should have the application, any C1A form, the notice of hearing, the other party’s response and the Cafcass safeguarding letter (PD12B, para 14.10). Bring your own copies, and see our guide to the C100 application form if you started the case.

You can take notes during the hearing, so a pen and paper are worth bringing, but you cannot take photos or videos. You also cannot bring weapons, glass, or liquids other than non-alcoholic drinks or hand sanitiser. Courts have no storage for e-bikes or e-scooters, so plan your journey without them. There is no formal dress code, but dress as you would for a formal public building. Apart from a face covering, you cannot wear anything on your head unless it is for religious reasons.

How long will you be at court?

Neither the rules nor HMCTS guidance give a set length for a family hearing. The time in your letter is when the day’s cases begin, and your case might not be first, so be ready to wait. For that reason, arrange childcare and time off work for longer than the hearing itself. The Slough County Court building is open from 9am to 4pm on weekdays.

How soon your hearing comes depends on the case. A first children hearing should usually take place in the fifth week after the court issues the application, and in the sixth week at the latest (PD12B, para 14.1). In money cases after divorce, the court usually fixes the first appointment 12 to 16 weeks after filing (FPR r.9.12). If the Cafcass safeguarding checks are not ready, the court should adjourn a children application until they are (PD12B, para 14.13).

What will your hearing be about?

Find a Court lists childcare arrangements, divorce and domestic abuse among the work this court handles. Your notice of hearing says which kind of hearing you have.

• Children cases. The first hearing is a chance to understand what divides you and to reach agreement, and the court can turn an agreement into an order (PD12B, para 14.8). What you say there is not privileged, so it can come up at later hearings (para 14.9). Our guide to the FHDRA hearing explains it in more detail. Some areas use a different model called Pathfinder, so check your court papers or ask the court which process applies.
• Domestic abuse. The court can make a non-molestation order before the other person hears about the case, where it is just and convenient. That person then gets a chance to respond at a full hearing (Family Law Act 1996, s.45).
• Divorce and money. If your notice is for a financial case, the first appointment aims to define the issues and save costs (FPR r.9.15). At the later financial dispute resolution appointment, both parties must attend in person unless the court directs otherwise (r.9.17).

What support can you ask for in the Slough court building?

Find a Court lists these facilities at Slough County Court:

• Level access to the entrance and the court room.
• Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyards on request, and assistance dogs are welcome.
• Two private interview rooms opposite Court 1, which you cannot book in advance.
• Baby changing in the ground-floor disabled toilets.
• Limited public car parking.

If you have a disability and need help to attend, call the national contact centre on 0300 123 5577 before your hearing to ask for a reasonable adjustment. HMCTS also provides an interpreter in family cases that involve children, domestic violence or forced marriage (GOV.UK interpreter guidance), so ask the court in good time.

If you feel unsafe, tell the court before the day. Staff can seat you away from the other party while you wait and put a screen in the hearing room. When you say the other party has abused you, the court must assume your evidence and your part in the case are likely to suffer. It then considers measures such as a screen, a video link or an intermediary (FPR r.3A.2A and r.3A.8). If a measure is not available at this building, the court can sit where it is available instead.

In some cases, one party cannot question the other in person. The court can then appoint a qualified legal professional to ask the questions (Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, s.31W). Our guides to special measures and attending court with a history of domestic abuse go further.

What must you avoid during and after the hearing?

• Recording the hearing. Using a device to record sound in court without permission is contempt of court (Contempt of Court Act 1981, s.9). HMCTS also says you must not take photos or videos.
• Posting about the case. Publishing information about private children proceedings can be contempt (Administration of Justice Act 1960, s.12). Identifying a child involved in them is also an offence (Children Act 1989, s.97).
• Leaving your phone on. Silence all calls and notifications before you go into the hearing room.
• Staying away. Each party must attend unless the court directs otherwise (r.27.3). If a respondent does not come, the court may still go ahead, and if the applicant does not come, it may refuse the application (r.27.4).

Are you ready for your hearing at Slough County Court?

Use this short check before the day. Tick each statement that is already true for you, and look again at any you leave blank.

Before your hearing: are you ready?

The calls a checklist can’t make for you

• Whether to accept an agreement suggested on the day, and what it would mean later.
• What to say at a first children hearing, when what you say can come up again.
• Whether to ask for safety measures, and which ones fit your situation.

These depend on the facts of your case, and they are easier to think about before the hearing than in the waiting area. You do not have to decide alone. Talk them over with our family law specialists in a free initial consultation, where a specialist gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances. Book your free initial consultation before your hearing date.

What does the free initial consultation cover?

A free initial consultation is a conversation with one of our specialists, who gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances. It does not include drafting or reviewing documents. Before the call, note your hearing date, the type of hearing and the questions you want to ask. Our specialists assist and advise you; they do not attend or speak at your hearing.

Frequently asked questions

Is there parking at Slough County Court?

Find a Court says the building has only limited public car parking, so do not count on finding a space. Plan your journey in advance and allow time for security checks, because HMCTS asks you to arrive 30 minutes before your hearing time. You also cannot bring e-bikes or e-scooters inside, and courts have no storage for them.

Can I bring my children to court?

HMCTS says there are no childcare facilities at court, and staff cannot look after children while you are in the hearing room. Arrange childcare before the day, and allow extra time, because your case might not be first. Baby changing facilities are in the disabled toilets on the ground floor, and you can breastfeed or express milk in any court or tribunal building.

How do I contact the court about my family case?

Email [email protected], which Find a Court lists for family enquiries, including C100 applications. Letters go to the Administration Centre, Reading County Court, 160-163 Friar Street, Reading, RG1 1HE, not to the court building. Quote your case number every time. HMCTS warns that scammers copy its phone numbers and email addresses, so never pay anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

Can a friend come into the hearing with me?

A friend or family member can come with you to the building, but HMCTS asks you to bring only one person. Family hearings are private, so a supporter can only sit in if the court allows it. A McKenzie Friend can give quiet support and help with papers, and an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser can attend without a court order.

Can I ask to wait away from the other party?

Yes, you can ask. HMCTS says staff can seat you in a different part of the building while you wait, and can put a screen in the hearing room so the other party cannot see you. Contact the court before the day to explain your worries. If you say the other party has abused you, the court must consider whether you need measures like these.

Is Slough County Court the same as the Law Courts on Windsor Road?

Yes. Find a Court gives the visiting address of Slough County Court and Family Court as The Law Courts, Windsor Road, Slough, SL1 2HE, so a search for Slough Law Courts leads to the same building. Find a Court also lists the former East Berkshire Magistrates’ Court as no longer in service. Always go to the court and address named on your notice of hearing, and check the time on it before you set off.

Hearing coming up at Slough County Court? Get advice before the day

Advice before the hearing gives you time to think about agreements, safety measures and what to ask for. Book a free initial consultation, where one of our specialists gives you initial advice tailored to your circumstances, or call 0330 094 5880. Read our guide to witness statements in family court, or return to your first family court hearing.

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

Expert Tip

Many parents see a first children hearing as a chance to get everything off their chest. It is not privileged, so what you say there can come up at later hearings. Before the day, write down in a few lines what you are asking for and why it works for your child. Keep to that when you speak. If someone suggests an agreement at court, ask for time to understand it before you say yes, because the court can turn it into an order.

Hannah Overton, Complex Children Specialist & Client Support