Initiating Application for Parenting Orders: Family Court Forms Australia

The FCFCOA application pack is the biggest procedural hurdle for grandparents filing parenting orders without a lawyer. Five documents have to be completed, formatted correctly and lodged together through the Commonwealth Courts Portal — and if anything is missing or outdated, the registry rejects the filing.

The Five Documents You Need

1. Initiating Application (Family Law). This sets out the exact orders you're asking the court to make. You specify whether you want final orders, interim orders, or both. For a grandparent seeking care of a grandchild, you'd typically ask for orders that the child live with you, that the child spend time with each parent on specified terms, and that you share (or hold sole) decision-making responsibility for major long-term issues like schooling and medical treatment.

2. Affidavit. Your sworn evidence supporting the application. This is where you explain who you are, your relationship with the child, why you're applying, the child's current living situation, and the facts that support your proposed orders. For interim applications, the affidavit is limited to 10 pages. Be factual, chronological and specific — courts want dates, events and evidence, not opinions about the parents.

3. Genuine Steps Certificate. Confirms you've complied with pre-action dispute resolution obligations. If you have a section 60I certificate from Family Dispute Resolution, attach it. If you're claiming an exemption, this is where you set out why.

4. Parenting Questionnaire. Background information about the child's care history, current arrangements, schools, health providers and the nature of the dispute. The court uses this to assess what support services might help and to flag any immediate risks.

5. Notice of Child Abuse, Family Violence or Risk (FCFCOA-NOT19). A mandatory screening form that every applicant must complete. If there are allegations or risks of child abuse, family violence or harm, you detail them here. If there are none, you still file the form — you tick the sections indicating no allegations.

Filing Through the Commonwealth Courts Portal

All FCFCOA filings go through the Commonwealth Courts Portal (CCP). You create an account, upload your five documents as PDFs, pay the filing fee (or lodge a fee exemption application), and submit. The portal tracks your case, court dates and sealed orders.

If you can't file electronically — because of a disability, lack of internet access or digital literacy barriers — you can request manual filing assistance at any FCFCOA registry.

Service After Filing

Once the registry seals your application, you must serve it on every respondent. The rules are strict:

• Who serves: An adult who is not a party to the case — a friend, a professional process server or anyone over 18 who isn't named in the proceedings
• What gets served: The sealed Initiating Application, Affidavit, Genuine Steps Certificate, Parenting Questionnaire, Notice of Risk, and the court brochure Marriage, Families and Separation
• When: At least 28 days before the first court event for domestic respondents, 42 days for respondents overseas
• Proof: The person who served the documents completes an Affidavit of Service, which you file on the portal

You cannot personally hand the documents to a respondent. If a parent can't be found, you may need to apply for substituted service (serving through a third party likely to bring it to their attention) or dispensation of service.

Respondents have 28 days after being served to file a Response, supporting Affidavit, Parenting Questionnaire and their own Notice of Risk.

The Parenting Orders for Grandparents and Relatives guide includes a document preparation checklist for the full FCFCOA application pack, with a parallel section covering the Western Australia form set for carers in WA.

See more Australia guides →