If you attend at Court regarding access or other children matters, you may well be involved with an organisation known as Cafcass. This is an abbreviation for the “Children and Families Court Advisory Service”.
What is Cafcass?
Cafcass represent the interests of children and young people in the family court. Cafcass will independently advise the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests and focus on their needs, wishes and feelings of children, making sure that their voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court’s thinking and decision making.
How does Cafcass work?
A Cafcass Officer will be appointed to represent your case. It is their role to talk to all involved parties, make any appropriate enquiries for example with the children’s school and the police and then report back to the family court, usually with recommendations as to how the case should proceed whilst always maintaining the children’s best interests at heart.
Depending on the age of the children, the Cafcass Officer may also wish to speak with the children, or observe one or both parents with them. Occasionally a Cafcass Officer may be asked by the Court to be a Guardian for a child, which means they represent the child and can spend more time with a family than in most cases.
Cafcass represent the interests of children and young people in the family court. Cafcass will independently advise the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests and focus on their needs, wishes and feelings of children, making sure that their voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court’s thinking and decision making.
Cafcass is instructed to become involved in a matter by the Court. Their initial instructions are to undertake checks such as safeguarding checks when any Court application is made. Cafcass will then submit the outcome of their checks with the court directly. Cafcass can remain involved in a matter if there is any further work to be done or further reports are required. This is often in circumstances where there are concerns for a child (or children). Cafcass can also signpost to any services which may be helpful to a family, such as a Children and Family hub, for things like courses or classes etc. If there is no further work to be done, or if the checks come back clear, Cafcass will inform the court that it is not necessary for them to remain involved.
Yes. Cafcass is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is a free service.
Contact Us
To find out more about Cafcass (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) and how they can assist then visit the Cafcass website or speak to one of our team who will be able to advise on the whole process, including the involvement of Cafcass.
☎️ Call our Wakefield office on 01924 290 029
☎️ Call our Garforth office on 0113 246 4423
☎️ Call our Sherburn in Elmet office on 01977 350 500
☎️ Call our Mapplewell office on 01226 339 009
☎️ Call our Ossett office on 01924 586 466
