I had a similar story a couple of years ago. I'm not British but was living in London at the time and was also trying to get in touch with my daughter. At first I thought court was tough, but it turned out to be just a way of sorting things out. I was intimidated by the paperwork, especially the C100 form. The items are complicated, it's not always clear what to write. Then I found this article - C100 Form. It really helped me to understand what to do step by step. Everything is laid out there - from how to fill it out to what to expect after submission. Without it, I would have been confused for sure, so if anyone is looking for specifics without the clerical stuff, this is a great resource.