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Family Law: What does Cafcass do?

September 22, 2020

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) advises the court in contested family cases in English courts.

If you make an application to the court for a child arrangements order, the court will ask Cafcass to get involved and it will do the following:

  • Undertake police and local authority checks against you and the other parent;
  • Call you and the other parent to check whether you have any concerns about the welfare of your children;
  • Provide the court with a short report, called a safeguarding letter, with details of the outcomes of their checks and any child welfare issues;
  • The Cafcass worker will help you to reach an agreement with the other parent, which may include completing a Parenting Plan which sets out contact with your children. They will then update the court about any safeguarding issues or any agreements that have been reached;
  • If you cannot reach an agreement, the court may ask Cafcass to prepare a section 7 report, where they will speak to you about your concerns. They will also speak to your children about their wishes and feelings if they are old enough and then prepare a detailed report setting out recommendations to the court. 

Wallace Robinson & Morgan is happy to help if you would like advice about having contact with your children or making an application to the court. If you would like to discuss your matter, please call on 0121 705 7571 and ask to speak to a member of the Family Law team.

This article is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute technical, financial, legal advice or any other type of professional advice and is no substitute for specific advice based on your individual circumstances. We do not accept responsibility or liability for any actions taken based on the information in this article. For more information, please click here.