Remote and video hearings — joining, behaving and preparing for a CVP hearing

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-30

Since 2020, many family hearings take place by video — usually on HMCTS's Cloud Video Platform (CVP), sometimes Microsoft Teams — or partly by telephone. Remote hearings are ordinary court hearings: the same rules, the same seriousness. This guide covers the practical side. It is general information, not legal advice.

How you'll be told

The court's listing notice (by email or post) tells you: the date and time, the hearing type, and the joining method — a CVP or Teams link for video, or a dial-in number for telephone hearings
The link is specific to your hearing; join a few minutes early
If you haven't received the link by the working day before, ring the court — a missed hearing because a link never arrived is avoidable

Getting set up

Device: a laptop or tablet is better than a phone — stable, larger view of documents
Connection: use wifi you trust; sit near the router; have a phone dial-in as backup — the listing usually includes a phone number to fall back to
Test before the day: join early on hearing morning; CVP runs in your browser or an app — allow microphone and camera permissions
Background and lighting: plain wall, light on your face, camera at eye level
Headphones improve audio for everyone and add privacy

Papers for a remote hearing

The court will send the bundle electronically (PDF with hyperlinked index) — learn to open and navigate it before the hearing; practice finding pages by the index
Have your own key documents open in separate windows: your position statement, current orders, the section 7 report
Keep a notebook and pen — taking notes on paper while listening is normal and expected

Conduct at a remote hearing

Join muted; unmute only when speaking; the judge runs the room — wait to be invited
Dress as you would for the court building; sit somewhere private and quiet — no children in the room if avoidable, no other people within earshot
Do not record the hearing — recording a family hearing without permission is a contempt risk (see our transparency and recording guide); official transcription is available on request
If your connection fails, rejoin immediately; if it fails repeatedly, phone the number in the listing — hearings are switched to telephone rather than lost
Address the judge as in court: "Sir", "Madam" or "Judge"; stand if you would stand — within reason
If you need a break — for health, for a crying child, for any reason — say so; judges give breaks routinely

Special measures work remotely too

Separate links: where there are allegations of abuse, the court can give each party a separate CVP link so you never see each other on screen
Screens and intermediaries translate to the video setting; ask in advance via your position statement or a participation directions request
Support Through Court may be able to help you prepare for the remote format

Telephone hearings

Answer from a quiet, private place; identify yourself when invited ("This is [name], the applicant")
Have the bundle printed or on screen — following page references by ear is the main challenge; ask the judge to slow down if references go too fast

After the hearing

The order is sent by email — check it matches what the judge said; if it doesn't, email the court promptly (same day) pointing out the error
Diarise the next hearing and every direction deadline immediately

Official links

YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory — we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to HMCTS or gov.uk. This page is general information and is not legal advice.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.