CAFCASS stands for The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support
Cafcass become involved during family court proceedings. Their main role is to safeguard children and make the decisions that are in the best interest for them…effectively being the child’s independent voice within court proceedings.
Cafcass will attend First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointments (FHDRA) which is the first hearing following a Child Arrangement order being made (CA01) They will also write Section 7 reports to be submitted into court.
(Information on both of these can been found below and within the Family Court Tab)
A Cafcass officer will speak with both parents and your children (if age appropriate). They use a structured framework to complete all assessments called the Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway. This can be found in the link below.
Any assessments or reports that are carried out are done so at the request of the court and focus on the impact Domestic Abuse has had and any future risk there may be to both a Survivor and Children.
Please see the links below for further information on Cafcass and the role they play
https://www.cafcass.gov.uk/ (NO QUICK EXIT ON PAGE)
https://www.cafcass.gov.uk/grown-ups/parents-and-carers/domestic-abuse/ (NO QUICK EXIT ON PAGE)
What is a Section 7 Report?
A Section 7 report may be ordered by a judge within family court. Reports are ordered when there are concerns raised (from either party) or there are risk factors in relation to a child or Parent.
The report, in most circumstances, is carried out by a Cafcass officer although Social Workers can complete them too. The report acts as an independent assessment and takes into consideration all relevant background information relating to the parents and the child. Both parents will be spoken with along with the children. The child’s wishes and feelings are taken into consideration during the process (if age appropriate and able to express clearly). The report will finish with a collaborative overview of what the author of the report considers to be in the child’s best interest. The report is then submitted back to court in full
This link from Cafcass explains Section 7 reports. https://www.cafcass.gov.uk/grown-ups/parents-and-carers/divorce-and-separation/what-to-expect-from-cafcass/section-7-report/
This link from Rights of Women explains what a section 7 report is – https://rightsofwomen.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Children-and-the-law-a-guide-to-Cafcass-and-section-7-reports.pdf (NO QUICK EXIT ON PAGE)
First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA)
This link from Child Law Advise explains an FHDRA –https://childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/hearings-in-the-family-court/ (NO QUICK ON PAGE)