Family court disclosure
Information held by the police for purposes of public and private law family proceedings can be requested from us.
The Disclosure of Information between Family and Criminal Agencies and Jurisdictions: 2024 Protocol allows for police information to be disclosed for public and private family proceedings.
Make a request
If you are a local authority seeking to make an application for disclosure of police information in family proceedings, complete Annex 1 (Word document).
If you are legal counsel who wants to apply for a private law police disclosure order on behalf of a client, complete Annex 1 and Annex 5 (Word document) (Annex 5 must be approved by the court).
Should you want to represent yourself in court, you must:
- use an Annex 5 as a template to apply to the court (see clause 1.9 of the 2024 Protocol)
- send us a copy of the sealed or approved order from the court
Email all completed Annex 1 forms and approved or sealed court orders to familycourtdisclosure@avonandsomerset.police.uk
In response from us you will get:
- an acknowledgement of your request
- a unique police disclosure reference
You will then need to make payment.
Fees
Our fees are aligned with the NPCC’s guidelines on charging for police services and are reviewed on an annual basis.
To ensure a fair process and to identify upfront costs to individuals, rather than charge per item, we have provided a simple three-tier package approach for private court orders.
Further information including the fees below, disclosure checklist and details of other disclosure routes (if you do not have a court order) can be found in our process and payment guidance document (PDF).
Private court orders
The following fees are applicable from 1 July 2025.
| Information type | Tier 1 – £250 | Tier 2 – £500 | Tier 3 – £750 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNC check/record on parties | X | X | X |
| Niche summary if requested/necessary | X | X | X |
| Niche occurrence logs or call logs (up to and including 6 specified incident/reports) | X | X | X |
| Written statements belonging to the parties | X | X | X |
| Additional specified Niche logs/Call logs – up to 10 specified incident/reports. (If over 10, refer to the additional cost section below) | X | X | |
| 3rd party witness statements/ officer statements | X | X | |
| Digital interviews (suspect) | X | X | |
| Digital ABE (victim) | X | X | |
| Digital photographs | X | X | |
| Any other non-digital documentation specified in the court order not specified above. | X | X | |
| CCTV /Body Worn Video (BWV)/footage – must be specific and relate to a particular incident | X | ||
| Any other digital disclosure specified in the court order not specified above or below | X |
Additional costs
| Information type | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile phone/computer downloads | A court order must be provided specifying unredacted disclosure (parties also to pay and provide a hard drive for receipt of the download). Note that should the device be outsourced additional 3rd party charges may apply | £500 per device |
| Additional logs | Request for additional incident/reports over 10 will incur a per item charge in line with the NPCC charging guidelines | £100 per report |
Payment
Once we receive your request, including Annex 1 and/or Annex 5, we will give you a unique police disclosure reference number. You can use this reference number to pay through our form:
Once we receive your completed request and payment, we aim to provide disclosure within 20 working days. However, there may be times when this takes longer.
Contact the Family Court Disclosure Team
You can get in touch with us:
- by email — familycourtdisclosure@avonandsomerset.police.uk
- by post —
Family Court Disclosure Team
Legal and Compliance Services
Avon and Somerset Police HQ
PO Box 37
Valley Road
Portishead, BS20 8QJ