Our management". Cafcass – Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service . Retrieved 3 June 2019. Parents sometimes assume their children are experiencing the same things as they are, and also that their child sees things how their parents see things - from your own point of view. Unless their child is showing visible signs that they are distressed by what has happened (sometimes in behaviour) or are able to express their own feelings openly, parents often do not realise that their children are experiencing things intensely and internally.

Parents, as adults, are the people who need to take responsibility for making final decisions together, and where they are not able to do this independently, the courts will make the decisions. see and engage with the child to understand what and who is important to them, what life is like for them and to ascertain their wishes and feelings; Accepting statements do not make a judgement. The dismissing statements make a judgement, put down, or minimise how your child is feeling and give the child the message that the feeling is not alright to have and should go away or be ignored. This can result in them hiding or suppressing their feelings, which in turn can result in emotional harm and behavioural difficulties. This is rewarding and enjoyable role where I can see the difference we are making in children’s lives.”Family Law Week: Commons Public Accounts Committee brands Cafcass 'not fit for purpose' ". November 2010 . Retrieved 18 April 2020. The CIAF provides a framework for practice. It is not intended as an instruction manual or to undermine the professional independence of the FCA and Guardian in individual proceedings. While the use of some resources and aids is required by policy, the framework does not direct which practice aid to use in what circumstances. Professional discretion is required to select the most appropriate resource/aid.

At first, I did not really know what was happening. I was worried because my mum was so angry and upset, but I also missed Dad. I heard my mum on the phone talking to a solicitor so I thought something might be happening in court. I wanted to ask about Dad and Granny who we used to see every Saturday, but I thought Mum might get upset.In 2011, presenters to a Justice Select Committee said that Cafcass was "beyond reform" and "should be abolished". [33] There are some simple exercises that can be effective and help you to put your feelings to one side and to focus on attending to your child. You might find it helpful to repeat these several times:

Anne said that she was going to write a report for the court about me and my family, and about spending time with my mum and dad. I thought she was going to ask me who I wanted to live with, but she didn’t. We talked about my pets and school, and drew some pictures about Dad and Mum. Anne told me that someone called a judge would decide about me seeing Mum and Dad, but they wanted to know what I thought. I didn’t say much about this, and Anne said that was OK. The CIAF is aligned to Together, our unified framework for social work practice. Specifically, it supports FCAs to think about and understand what is happening for each child, in the following ways:The local authority must satisfy the court that the child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm in the care of their parents, whether they are together or apart. The concerns of your local authority may include: Children go through a wide range of emotions when their parents are separating. They may experience periods of unhappiness and low self-esteem, and many will express their unresolved feelings in behaviour. Accepting your own emotions – you may find it helps to keep a diary of how you feel and what triggers certain feelings. At the first hearing the court will determine the future role of Cafcass in the proceedings. If there are no welfare concerns then a Cafcass officer may still be involved to try to assist the parties in coming to an agreement with minimal further court proceedings. If parents are unable to reach an agreement or there are welfare concerns then the Cafcass officer may be asked to carry out further work with the family and prepare a more detailed report on the welfare issues. Cafcass Report You will work with parents, relatives, local authorities and the courts, and must demonstrate your understanding of what the child needs, wants and feels.