Anyone got any experience of Cafcass?

SueC_2

Good? Bad? Indifferent? Words of advice?

Specifically, I am interested in how good they are at advising what is BEST for the child, as opposed to what the child says they want.

What I mean by this is that if you ask a child what they want to eat, they may well say "crisps and jelly beans please" - that doesn't meant that's what is best for them, and that their nutritional needs wouldn't be better met by a balanced meal.

I would presume the same happens in contentious custody battles - ask the child who doesn't see their dad much what they want, and they may well say "I wan't to see my daddy more". Depending on how fit the father is as a parent, that may not be what is best for the child. Can Cafcass generally be relied upon to get this right?

Thanks all.

puddy

lets cut to the chase, how unfit do you believe the father to be? there is a difference between someone being a real negative impact on a child by smoking, drinking, swearing, committing crime around a child, to one who sees their child a couple of times a month but may not have the ability to parent a child full time if that was an option

in terms of assessing a child's wishes and feelings, yes those are represented but not always within a recommendation. ive had to tell lots of children that although i understand what you have told me and this is what you want, i cannot agree with this and wont support this to the judge but i will tell the judge that this is what you are saying you want

as a parent you also have your own statement to the court of course

its always preferable that a child be given the chance to build a relationship with their parents. if there are risks in place, these can sometimes be managed by having supervised contact or restrictions in place and obviously some risks are bigger than others. at other times, contact will not be appropriate no matter how its carried out. it really depends on the situation

pinksk8

My brother had CAFCASS involved with his daughter (mum was absent decided she wanted access after 5 years absent). The CAFCASS was compltely against brothers ex having involvement with my niece (they turned up unannounced and she was having a full on drinking party with kids shut in garden, nappies all over floor, no food, no bedding on kids bed). She had four other children living with her. However court dismissed CAFCASS report for some reason and granted two hours on a saturday, she didnt bother turning up and has subsequently had her other children taken into care, the poor little mites.

So although my brother was really impressed with what CAFCASS did, it didnt do him any favours in court.

Good Luck x

jackyann

Am fortunate to have only dealt with them in a professional capacity. They are experienced and well trained, and do see beneath the surface. But of course they are only human as well. I have always found them very approachable, and willing to re-consider.

daska

Our experience was very positive. She didn't just take on board what we said but found a number of other things that worried her when talking directly with DSD's mum and going through the other records. There was stuff in her report which we hadn't been aware of and aspects which we hadn't spotted as being concerning.

FWIW it's unusual for a court to go against what CAFCASS suggest in their report. Personally we had a lady who the judge actually referred to in court as "one of the best" when DSD's mum's barrister tried to argue against what she had recommended and ask for a replacement.

SueC_2

daska wrote: »

Our experience was very positive. She didn't just take on board what we said but found a number of other things that worried her when talking directly with DSD's mum and going through the other records. There was stuff in her report which we hadn't been aware of and aspects which we hadn't spotted as being concerning.

But how much notice did she take of what DSD said? (By the way, I have no idea what DSD stands for, but am presuming that's the child).

daska wrote: »

FWIW it's unusual for a court to go against what CAFCASS suggest in their report.

That's exactly what worries me! Hence the questions about how thorough they are, and how good at looking beneath the surface! What happens if one parent is a controlling, manipulative liar, who has attempted to brainwash the child?

clearingout

you kind of have to trust them to do their job and to see through any attempted brainwashing. You can bring up any concerns you have about what your ex might attempt to say/do/prove and how he/she might do that and they will obviously have that in the back of their mind when talking to the child. At the same time, your ex will have probably said the same about you!

I suspect much will depend on the age of your child - a 14 year old who says they don't want to live with you, for example, is probably going to be taken at face value providing they are showing an overall maturity sufficient for the officer to believe that they understand the implications of what they're saying. A 4 year old showing a dislike to the extent that they don't want to live with one or other of their parents would probably need some careful questioning/work to see what's actually going on - whether that be 'brainwashing', a parent who is abusive or neglectful or the child not understanding that living with one parent means they won't live with the other one as well!

My children were all under 6 when we dealt with CAFCASS. I got the outcome I wanted but the officer concerned was 'dead pan' and worried me enormously with her questions.

SueC_2

puddy wrote: »

lets cut to the chase, how unfit do you believe the father to be?

Setting aside the fact that the parent in question is a controlling, manipulative liar who had absolutely no interest whatsoever in the child during the ten years of its life that the parents were together, the parent in question would also stand to significantly benefit financially if they were to be awarded sole or joint custody.

puddy

my experience and im talking about my own ability to assess and my colleagues (i dont work there anymore), is that brainwashing and manipulative parents always think that no one will spot this. this goes for both absent parents who play the victim and parents with custody who brainwash the child into believing that mummy and daddy is some monster who doesnt care

the truth is sometimes as black and white as that, but more often somewhere in the middle

is the father in this case wanting residency (full custody) or just contact? if he has not been in the child's life for 10 years, then full custody would be unlikely

i gather that your child has expressed a desire or at least an interest in their father. are you able to see this from the child's perspective that they may be curious and feel that something is missing without knowing him?

you feel that the father is not genuine in his application?

eta - i see i misunderstood your post, the child was living with you and father for 10 years and during that time you felt father did not parent effectively. how long has the child not seen dad?

daska

SueC wrote: »

But how much notice did she take of what DSD said? (By the way, I have no idea what DSD stands for, but am presuming that's the child).

That's exactly what worries me! Hence the questions about how thorough they are, and how good at looking beneath the surface! What happens if one parent is a controlling, manipulative liar, who has attempted to brainwash the child?

DSD = my darling step daughter (which she is 'most' of the time LOL)

As with any other job you get some who are better and some who are worse. And yes, she did pay a lot of attention to what DSD said. And she interviewed her both with us, and her mother, and alone - which will have given her an idea of what DSD might have felt compelled to say.

SueC_2

puddy wrote: »

my experience and im talking about my own ability to assess and my colleagues (i dont work there anymore), is that brainwashing and manipulative parents always think that no one will spot this. this goes for both absent parents who play the victim and parents with custody who brainwash the child into believing that mummy and daddy is some monster who doesnt care

the truth is sometimes as black and white as that, but more often somewhere in the middle

is the father in this case wanting residency (full custody) or just contact? if he has not been in the child's life for 10 years, then full custody would be unlikely

i gather that your child has expressed a desire or at least an interest in their father. are you able to see this from the child's perspective that they may be curious and feel that something is missing without knowing him?

you feel that the father is not genuine in his application?

eta - i see i misunderstood your post, the child was living with you and father for 10 years and during that time you felt father did not parent effectively. how long has the child not seen dad?

I've suddenly (perhaps belatedly!) got a bit uncomfortable with the level of detail I'm putting on a public forum. Would you mind if I PM'd you?

Apologies to anyone else who thinks they're missing part of the story!