Putting children and young people first in the family courts

myCourtroom – exploring the family court

myCourtroom is an interactive online court simulation, which shows a typical scene in the family court. It offers separated parents involved in family court proceedings the opportunity to look around a virtual court room ahead of the first hearing. By exploring the court room, parents can gain a better understanding of what happens in family proceedings and the roles of the professionals involved.

Users can explore the court and click on objects or people in the scene to interact with them and find out more about their role. The accompanying guide supports use of the simulation and signposts to other resources which help familiarise parents with the court setting and processes.

myCourtroom has been developed by Cafcass and the Centre for Child Protection at the University of Kent. If you have any questions about the court process, please contact the call centre on 0300 456 4000 or speak to your Family Court Adviser.  If you have any problems accessing or using the website, please contact the call centre who will help you or send your query to the technical team.

If you or your ex-partner has recently applied to court and your child has an open case with Cafcass, you will have been sent a link to myCourtroom in your Cafcass welcome letter. You will need to follow the link provided and create a username and password to access myCourtroom. Please read the user guidance  for more information.

 

Log-in      Register

 

myCourtroom guide and frequently asked questions

  • What is ‘myCourtroom’?

    It is an online, interactive court scene that may help you to understand what to expect when your case comes through Cafcass into the family court.

  • How do I use myCourtroom?

    myCourtroom scene

    It’s easy to navigate the courtroom scene. Click or tap on this icon  to reveal information about that part of the courtroom.

    To change your view of the room, click the arrows (bottom left/right of the screen) or tap the side of the screen (on a touchscreen device).

    You can also download the myCourtroom user guide.

  • Why do I need to provide a username/email?

    The product is licensed so we are required by the University of Kent (who helped to develop the programme) to ask all users to register. Your email address will not be shared with any external agencies (including the University of Kent).  We may contact you by email in the future to ask for your feedback on the simulation but if you would rather we didn’t, please let us know by contacting [email protected]

  • I’ve got some questions about when my case goes to court

    All case-related queries should be directed to the case worker (if allocated) or the duty FCA for the team.

  • I’ve clicked the link but it isn’t working

    Please contact us and we will report the fault with our technical team.

    Let us know by calling us on 0300 456 4000 (09:00-17:00 Mon-Thurs and 09:00-16:30 Fri) or email [email protected]

  • I’ve registered before but forgotten my password

    You can reset your password by clicking on the ‘forgotten password’ button on the myCourtroom home screen. The password reset email will come from [email protected] – you may need to check your spam/junk folder.

  • Can I use this on my phone/tablet?

    Yes, you can use it on a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone as long as you have internet connection.

  • I'm having technical issues

    Let us know by calling us on 0300 456 4000 (09:00-17:00 Mon-Thurs and 09:00-16:30 Fri) or email [email protected]

  • Finding legal advice

    Cafcass is unable to provide legal advice to members of the public. If you’re representing yourself in court proceedings, you may wish to seek further support so that you know what to expect in family court proceedings.

    You may find it helpful to visit the Personal Support Unit website. A list of other useful resources and organisations is on our resources page.

  • Social workers

    We have also developed a training version of myCourtroom which can be a useful tool for social workers who are new to court work and want to get familiar with the court setting. If you’re an experienced social worker, there is the option to explore complex practice dilemmas, encouraging reflective practice. Specific scenes focus on issues around sibling group separation, permanency and neglect threshold in a court context and there is the opportunity to discuss how the situation might play out in proceedings.

    For more details, contact the Centre for Child Protection (University of Kent) on 01227 827546 or email [email protected]

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