Serve documents and add case material in Common Platform
Updated 21 October 2024
Applies to England and Wales
1. Before you start
Your firm or chambers must register with Common Platform before you can use it.
Once registered, you will receive an email from noreply@cjscp.org.uk. Please check junk and spam filters for this notification.
Follow the link in the email to complete your one-time account activation and security set up.
You must activate your account before you can find and manage cases in Common Platform.
Once your organisation has registered and you have activated your account, you can start accessing cases in Common Platform.
Also see the Find a case, self-serve the IDPC and fully access a case guide.
2. Serve documents to the court
In magistrates바카라 사이트™ court cases, you can use Common Platform to serve documents to the court by adding case material. You can only do this if the case started on Common Platform. For cases that didn바카라 사이트™t start on Common Platform, you should serve documents directly to the relevant court.
In Crown court cases, you should continue to use Digital Case System (DCS) to serve documents.
When the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) serve documents and bundles in the magistrates바카라 사이트™ court, you will either be able to view it on Common Platform or they will send it by secure email. Depending on the document or bundle type, they may serve it on both Common Platform and by email.
Magistrates바카라 사이트™ court case document or bundle | Common Platform | Secure email |
---|---|---|
IDPC bundle | Yes | No |
IDPC letter to defence | No | Yes |
Applications (for example, bad character, special measures, CTL extensions) | Yes | Yes |
Discontinuance notice | Yes | Yes |
Further charges | Yes | Yes |
S9 bundle | Yes | No |
Magistrates바카라 사이트™ court evidence bundle | Yes | No |
Unused material bundle | No | Yes |
Streamlined Disclosure Certificate (SDC) | No | Yes |
Disclosure management document | Yes | Yes |
3. Add case material
You should upload case material before the hearing so that matters can be progressed and then dealt with in the courtroom.
You should use standard criminal procedure rules forms for uploading case material. This makes sure that all relevant information is captured and it is in a standard format.
In the magistrates바카라 사이트™ court, make sure you upload the case materials to the correct section. Find guidance on where to upload case material.
In Crown court cases, you should continue to use DCS to add case materials. If there is case material in a magistrates바카라 사이트™ court case that is relevant to a Crown court case, you will need to copy it to DCS.
Do not use the 바카라 사이트˜Case materials바카라 사이트™ tab to add the preparation for effective trial (PET) or better case management (BCM) forms. You will find these forms in the 바카라 사이트˜Case management바카라 사이트™ tab instead. See our guide on editing the PET and BCM.
1. In the 바카라 사이트˜Case materials바카라 사이트™ tab select 바카라 사이트˜Add new material바카라 사이트™.

2. A form box will open 바카라 사이트“ choose the file you want to upload.

3. From the drop-down menu, select the material section you wish to place the document in. If you are uploading an application, you must select the 바카라 사이트˜Applications바카라 사이트™ section. This will alert the CTSC to formally add the application or adjudication.
4. If you are representing more than one defendant on the case, both names will appear. Check the box next to the name of the defendant the material applies to. You will not see a checkbox if you are only representing one defendant. If you want to add a document to more than one defendant, you must add it to each defendant individually.
5. Name the material as you want it to appear to others viewing the case. The name should be descriptive so others know what it is.
6. If the material has information about the defendant바카라 사이트™s financial means, check the 바카라 사이트˜Includes financial means바카라 사이트™ box. This will make sure the material is only held for as long as necessary, to comply with GDPR rules.
7. When uploading to certain sections (such as 바카라 사이트˜Case management바카라 사이트™), a 바카라 사이트˜Send to CPS바카라 사이트™ checkbox appears. Check this box to simultaneously serve the document on the court and CPS. The CPS will receive an email with the document attached.
8. Add the date that you received the document.
9. Select 바카라 사이트˜Add material바카라 사이트™. You will receive a success message and the document will be added to the relevant material section. It will then be available to view for anyone with access to the case, including the court.
10. Refresh the screen to check the document was sent to the CPS. You will either see a green highlighted message saying 바카라 사이트˜Sent to CPS바카라 사이트™ or a red highlighted message saying 바카라 사이트˜Failed to send to CPS바카라 사이트™. If it has failed to send, you will need to email the document to the CPS representative on the case.

4. Edit and upload documents
You will have restricted access to edit documents in Common Platform. You will not be able to edit any documentation from partner agencies (such as statements or exhibits).
You can only edit documents in Common Platform for magistrates바카라 사이트™ court cases. For Crown court cases, you should use DCS.
1. In the 바카라 사이트˜Case material바카라 사이트™ tab, select and download the document you want to amend.
2. Make the required changes then upload the amended version. Make sure the document title remains the same but add the date you amended it. For example, 바카라 사이트˜Document title 02.01.22바카라 사이트™. This allows everyone to see a clear version history.
3. For magistrates바카라 사이트™ court cases, if you need to send the document to the CPS, make sure the 바카라 사이트˜Send to CPS바카라 사이트™ checkbox is checked. The CPS will receive an email with the document attached.
Do not use the 바카라 사이트˜Case materials바카라 사이트™ tab to edit and upload the preparation for effective trial (PET) or better case management (BCM) forms. You will find these forms in the 바카라 사이트˜Case management바카라 사이트™ tab instead. See our guide on editing the PET and BCM.
5. Further help and guidance
For help with serving documents and adding case material, speak to your organisation바카라 사이트™s administrator or contact us.
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