Help Completing Family Court Forms Before a Hearing

Q: What document is generally used to submit new information in an ongoing custody case?

Updates in an open case are generally submitted through a supplemental affidavit, exhibit list, or pretrial memorandum rather than a motion to modify, which typically applies only to final orders.

Q: How can a parent find out which forms their court requires for a custody update?

Court clerks or a state's self-help family law resources can generally confirm the specific forms and local rules that apply to a given case type.

Q: Is there a deadline for submitting new evidence before a custody hearing?

In many states, courts generally require new filings to be submitted and served a set number of days before a hearing, so confirming that deadline with the clerk is important.

Question

I need help figuring out what forms I need to fill out to give the judge current concerns and other information before our next court date, and help deciding what information is important to include. This is a child custody case, no divorce. It is ongoing, and we have a status conference coming up. At our last hearing the judge pushed the date out 30 days to look into reports from a child-evaluation program that he was unaware of, which were initiated by allegations my child made about his father. My problem is that there is much more the judge should know. I have prepared over 1,000 exhibits of evidence over the last seven years, but current events have changed my initial stance and requests. I need to know what forms to file to submit a summary of what is going on.

A. Jason Velez · Accepted Answer

The document you need is likely not a Motion to Modify Child Custody, since that motion is used to change an already-final custody order, and your case is still open with a status conference ahead rather than a final order on the table — in an ongoing case like yours, new information is typically submitted as a supplemental affidavit, exhibit list, or pretrial memorandum. This lets you bring the new CARES team findings and your changed requests to the judge's attention before May 18. The exact form name and applicable local rule vary by court, so confirm the correct filing directly with your local court clerk or Idaho's Court Assistance self-help center before submitting anything.

What you can do:

1. Contact the court clerk or Idaho's Court Assistance self-help center to ask what document your case type uses to submit new information ahead of a status conference.

2. Prepare a written summary of the CARES team findings and how your requests have changed, organizing your exhibits by relevance to your child's welfare rather than submitting all of them at once.

3. Ask the clerk what filing and service deadline applies before the May 18 conference, and file and serve the other party within that window.

4. Have a family law attorney review your summary and exhibit selection before filing, given the volume of evidence involved.

⏱ Time limits apply. Courts typically require new filings, affidavits, or exhibits to be submitted and served a set number of days before a hearing, and missing that window could mean the new evidence isn't considered at the May 18 status conference. Have a local family law attorney review your case promptly to confirm the exact deadline that applies.

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