General information only — not legal advice. Find a solicitor in the directory · Full terms
Autizma COP Guide

Protect P's data. Use initials or a pseudonym. Your notes stay on this device only.

Look after yourself. This is a marathon.

Module 9

Build your court bundle

Add your documents section by section. The page numbers, index and cover sheet are built for you as you go — and everything stays on your own device.

1. Case details

Use P's initials only — never their full name. These details print on the cover sheet.

This is the first thing the judge reads. Keep it about P, not about the professionals.

0 documents
0 pages

2. Add your documents

Section A

Preliminary documents

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Usual documents in this section

Section B

Applications and orders

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Usual documents in this section

Section C

Statements and evidence

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Usual documents in this section

Section D

Expert and professional reports

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Usual documents in this section

Section E

Records and correspondence

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Usual documents in this section

Live index

COURT OF PROTECTION — BUNDLE INDEX

In the matter of: [P's initials]
Case number: [case number]
Court: [court]
Hearing date: —
Bundle filed by: [your name] (Family member / litigant in person)
Total pages: 0

SECTION A — PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTS
  (no documents added yet)

SECTION B — APPLICATIONS AND ORDERS
  (no documents added yet)

SECTION C — STATEMENTS AND EVIDENCE
  (no documents added yet)

SECTION D — EXPERT AND PROFESSIONAL REPORTS
  (no documents added yet)

SECTION E — RECORDS AND CORRESPONDENCE
  (no documents added yet)

ESSENTIAL READING
  (tick the documents the judge should read first)

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR P
[In one or two sentences: what P wants, and what would be best for P.]

Prepared using the Autizma COP Guide by Autizma. Information only, not legal advice.

Pagination checklist

0 of 10 done

In the hearing, refer to pages the way the judge does: "That is at page 112, my point is at the second paragraph." It saves minutes you do not have.

Keep P at the centre

Judges decide on P's best interests. Everything in your bundle should answer: what does this mean for P?

  • Every decision is made in P's best interests — not what is fair to you, cheapest for the council, or easiest for the ward.
  • Start every statement with P: who they are, what a good day looks like, what frightens them, what they enjoy.
  • Record P's own words wherever you can, dated, and say who was present. Judges give real weight to P's wishes and feelings.
  • Say how P communicates and what support they need to take part — the court can arrange for P to meet the judge.
  • Frame each point as an effect on P: 'P slept through the night 3 times in 6 weeks at the unit, and 24 nights out of 28 at home.'
  • Avoid character attacks on staff or family. Bring it back to what happened to P and when.
  • Set out the least restrictive option that still keeps P safe — that is the test the judge applies.
  • Include the things P would want even if they seem small: their dog, their football team, seeing their nan on Sundays.

Try not to over-litigate

This is the hardest advice to follow when you are fighting for someone you love — but it protects your credibility, and P's case.

  • Ask yourself before every application: what decision do I want the judge to make for P, today? If you cannot answer in one sentence, it is probably not ready.
  • Do not put every disagreement before the court. Raise day-to-day care issues through the care plan review, the complaints process or a professionals' meeting first.
  • Do not file a new application while an existing one is live — ask for the point to be added to the next hearing instead.
  • Do not keep re-arguing a point the judge has already decided. Save it for an appeal only if there is a real legal ground.
  • Do not flood the court with documents. A 60-page focused bundle beats a 600-page one every time.
  • Do not copy the judge into arguments between parties. Correspondence is for the solicitors; the bundle is for the court.
  • It is genuinely hard to hold back when you are frightened for your relative — but a family seen as measured is listened to for longer.
  • Ask for mediation or a round-table meeting before a contested hearing. Judges notice who tried to settle.
  • Pick your two strongest points. Ten weak ones dilute the two that could actually win.
  • If you are exhausted, ask for more time rather than filing something rushed and angry.

Your bundle is stored only in this browser. Nothing is sent to a server. This app is information, not legal advice.