Form ARB1FS and Form ARB1CS meaning

Forms ARB1FS and ARB1CS are the standard IFLA family arbitration agreements used to start and define an arbitration of family disputes—ARB1FS for financial remedies (Financial Scheme) and ARB1CS for private law children issues (Children Scheme). In signing them, the parties agree to arbitrate their dispute and to be bound by the ifla rules for the relevant scheme. Key features include: identification of the issues to be arbitrated, appointment/nomination of the arbitrator, agreement on the seat (typically England and Wales), applicable law, confidentiality, costs, and procedural powers. The forms record the parties’ consent to a private, binding determination, with any award/determination intended to be reflected in a court order where required (for example, a consent order in financial cases). They also note exclusions from the schemes (for example, public law children matters). These are scheme documents rather than statutory forms, used within the framework of the Arbitration Act 1996. Usage is established in England and Wales. Scotland and Ireland have separate arbitration frameworks and practitioner groups (for example, FLAGS in Scotland) and different forms are used there. In Northern Ireland, the Arbitration Act 1996 applies, but local practice should be checked before relying on IFLA documentation.