Written by: McKenzie Friend
September 14, 2023

What Does CAFCASS Do? Complete Guide for Parents

What does CAFCASS do when you’re involved in a family court case? If you’ve received a letter or phone call from CAFCASS after applying to the Family Court, you may be wondering what happens next, what CAFCASS will ask you, and whether their assessment could affect your child arrangements case.

Those are completely reasonable questions, and not knowing the answers makes an already stressful situation feel worse.

This guide covers the entire CAFCASS process for parents in England and Wales. From what CAFCASS actually checks, to the questions they’ll ask you, to how you can prepare for an interview or home visit, and what you can do if you disagree with a CAFCASS report – everything is explained here in plain English, step by step.

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What Is CAFCASS? (And What It Isn't)

CAFCASS stands for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. It’s an independent organisation that works within the family justice system in England and Wales to make sure children’s welfare is at the centre of every family court decision.

When your case involves children, whether it’s a child arrangements dispute, care proceedings, or an adoption application – the court will usually involve CAFCASS automatically. You don’t request it. It happens as soon as proceedings are issued.

The most important thing to understand straight away: CAFCASS is not social services. The two organisations can work together and may share information, but they have different roles.

Social services can investigate concerns about a child’s welfare and, in serious cases, take action to protect a child. CAFCASS advises the Family Court about what arrangements may be in the child’s best interests. A CAFCASS officer does not have the power to remove your child from your care. Their role is advisory. They gather information, assess the situation, and make recommendations to the court, but the judge makes all final decisions.

CAFCASS is also independent from the court itself and from both parents. They are not on your side, and they are not on your ex-partner’s side. Their focus is entirely on the child.

What does a CAFCASS officer do?

A Family Court Adviser (FCA) helps the court understand what is happening in a child’s life and whether there are any welfare or safeguarding concerns.

An FCA’s job is to assess what arrangements would best serve your child’s welfare, and to report their findings and recommendations to the judge. Depending on how complex your case is, they might carry out background checks, conduct telephone interviews with both parents, visit your home, speak to your child’s school or GP, and when your child is old enough, they’ll have a direct conversation with your child about their wishes and feelings.

Their findings are written up in formal reports that carry the most weight in court. Which is why, understanding how the process works, and how to engage with it can make a real difference to how your case unfolds.

When Does CAFCASS Get Involved?

CAFCASS gets involved in family court cases involving children – but not every case looks the same. The extent of their involvement, and what they actually do, depends on the type of proceedings and how complex the situation is.

Here’s where CAFCASS typically steps in.

Private law cases (child arrangements between parents)

Private law cases usually involve disputes between family members, most commonly separated parents who cannot agree on arrangements for their children.

For example, you may be unable to agree:

– Which parent your child should live with

– How much time your child should spend with each parent

– Whether your child should stay overnight

– Where and when contact should take place

– Whether there should be supervised contact

– Other arrangements affecting your child’s day-to-day life

If you apply for a Child Arrangements Order, CAFCASS will usually become involved automatically once the application is issued. You don’t normally have to ask CAFCASS to get involved.

From that point, a Family Court Adviser is assigned to your case. Their first task is to carry out initial safeguarding checks before your first hearing — more on what those checks involve in the next section.

If there’s an urgent risk to your child – for example, you believe they’re in immediate danger or at risk of being taken abroad without your consent, you can make an emergency application or apply for a Prohibited Steps Order. In those situations, the court can act quickly, and CAFCASS may be involved at very short notice.

Public Law Cases (Care Proceedings With the Local Authority)

Public law cases are different because they involve the local authority, usually after social services have raised serious concerns about a child’s welfare.

For example, concerns may involve:

Serious neglect or abuse
Domestic abuse
Substance misuse
Unsafe living conditions
A significant risk of harm to the child
Concerns about whether a child can safely remain in their current home

In these cases, CAFCASS may appoint a Family Court Adviser to represent the child’s interests within the proceedings. The local authority will also have its own social workers involved.

The type of case you’re in shapes everything – what CAFCASS does, how long the process takes, and what their recommendations are likely to cover. For most parents reading this, the focus will be on private law proceedings and child arrangements. That’s what the rest of this guide is primarily built around.

The CAFCASS Process: What Happens Exactly

If you have never been involved in family court before, the CAFCASS process can feel confusing. You may think when will CAFCASS call? What happens after the first hearing? How long does all of this take?

Here’s the full process laid out in order, so you know exactly where you are, and what’s coming.

STAGE 1: Proceedings are issued — CAFCASS is notified

As soon as you (or the other parent) submit a C100 application to the Family Court, the court notifies CAFCASS automatically. You don’t need to contact CAFCASS yourself. From this point, a Family Court Adviser is assigned to your case and the process begins.

STAGE 2: Initial safeguarding checks are carried out

Before the first hearing, CAFCASS carries out safeguarding checks with the police and relevant local authorities. The purpose is to identify information that could raise concerns about the welfare or safety of your child.

These checks can include information about previous concerns involving either parent or the children.

This stage happens before the First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA) so the court has important safeguarding information when it first considers your case.

STAGE 3: CAFCASS carries out safeguarding telephone calls

A Family Court Adviser (FCA) will usually arrange a telephone interview with each parent who is a party to the proceedings. The FCA will ask about concerns relating to your child’s welfare and safety.

This call can happen quite close to the first hearing, so there is no need to assume something has gone wrong if CAFCASS has not contacted you immediately.

At this stage, the conversation is focused on safeguarding. You may be asked about issues such as domestic abuse, violence, substance misuse, mental health concerns, or other circumstances that could affect your child’s safety.

What you say here goes into their report. We’ve covered exactly what questions they’re likely to ask you, and what not to say – further down in this guide.

STAGE 4: The safeguarding letter is prepared

It summarises the safeguarding checks, information from the telephone interviews and any concerns raised about your child’s welfare. The FCA can also advise the court about what should happen next.

The letter should usually reach the court at least three days before the first hearing.

This is an important document because the judge or magistrates will have it when considering the case at the FHDRA.

Both parents usually receive a copy, unless there’s a specific reason such as a risk of harm, for it to be withheld.

STAGE 5: First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment (FHDRA)

This is your first court hearing. The judge reads the safeguarding letter and hears briefly from both parties. The aim of the FHDRA isn’t to resolve everything – it’s to work out what needs to happen next. Can the case be resolved at this hearing through agreement? Are there safeguarding concerns that need to be investigated further? Does the court need a full welfare report? Directions are set here, and in many straightforward cases, an agreement is reached and no further CAFCASS involvement is needed.

If you’re unsure what to expect on the day, our guide on what happens at a child custody hearing walks you through it.

STAGE 6: A Section 7 report may be ordered

If the court needs more information about your child’s welfare, it can ask CAFCASS to prepare a Section 7 report under the Children Act 1989.

This is a much more detailed assessment than the initial safeguarding work.

Your FCA may speak to you, the other parent and your child. Depending on your child’s age and circumstances, they may also speak with other relevant people, such as teachers or health professionals.

A Section 7 report is not automatically ordered in every case. The court decides whether further assessment is necessary.

And, this is the report that carries the most weight in court.

STAGE 7: Home visits and further assessment

As part of the Section 7 process, your CAFCASS officer will usually visit each parent at home. They want to see where your child lives, how you interact together, and whether the environment is suitable and stable. This is often the part parents feel most nervous about – but the standard being applied is not perfection. It’s whether you can meet your child’s needs adequately.

STAGE 8: The Section 7 report is filed

Once the assessment is complete, the FCA prepares a Section 7 report for the court.

The report sets out what the FCA has found and can include recommendations about what arrangements they believe would best support your child’s welfare. Your child’s wishes and feelings will be considered where appropriate.

The court will set the deadline for the report. A 12-week timescale is commonly used, although the actual timeframe can vary depending on the case and the directions made by the court.

Stage 9: The Final Hearing

At the final hearing, the judge looks at the Section 7 report along with your statements, expert evidence and other evidence in the case. The judge does not have to follow the CAFCASS recommendation, but will usually give it serious consideration. If you disagree with the report, you can challenge its findings and recommendations.

What Does CAFCASS Check During a Family Court Case?

If CAFCASS is involved in your family court case, you may be wondering exactly what they will look into. Will they check your criminal record? Speak to your child’s school? Contact your GP? Look around your home?

The answer depends on the type of case and what the court asks CAFCASS to assess. During the initial safeguarding stage, CAFCASS focuses heavily on information that could affect your child’s safety and welfare. If the court orders a Section 7 report, the assessment can go much further.

Here are the main areas CAFCASS may check.

Police Records

CAFCASS carries out safeguarding checks with the police as part of its initial assessment.

This can identify information such as:

Criminal history involving either parent
Domestic abuse call-outs, cautions or convictions
Previous incidents involving children
Other police information relevant to your child’s safety

If something shows up, it doesn’t automatically go against you. Context matters enormously.

The important thing to understand here is this: if it’s there, CAFCASS will find it. Trying to hide or downplay something they’re going to discover anyway is far more damaging to your credibility than the record itself. If there’s relevant history, acknowledge it calmly and explain the context.

Local Authority and Social Services Records

CAFCASS also checks relevant information held by local authorities.

This can include previous social services involvement, referrals, assessments and child protection concerns. Information from schools or other professionals that resulted in a referral to children’s services may also be relevant.

If your family has previously been involved with children’s social care, expect CAFCASS to consider that history when assessing safeguarding and welfare.

What surprises many parents is how far back these checks reach, and how wide they go. Even a referral made years ago by a school or health visitor can show up.

Your Child's School and GP

If the issues in your case involve your child’s education, health or wellbeing, a CAFCASS officer may contact your child’s school and GP directly.

This could include:

School attendance and unexplained absences
Safeguarding referrals
Pastoral or welfare concerns
Relevant health information
Concerns raised by teachers or healthcare professionals

This doesn’t happen in every case – it’s more common when a Section 7 report has been ordered and there are specific welfare concerns to investigate. But if your child’s school or doctor has had any relevant involvement, assume it may come up.

Both Parents' Backgrounds and Parenting Capacity

CAFCASS isn’t carrying out a character assessment of you as a person. What they’re actually evaluating is your capacity to meet your child’s needs practically, emotionally, and consistently.

This can include concerns about mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse or other circumstances raised during the proceedings.

The focus is your parenting capacity and your child’s welfare. If domestic abuse is alleged, CAFCASS will consider the allegations and any available evidence, including whether a parent has experienced abuse themselves.

Your Child's Wishes and Feelings

Your child’s views can be an important part of a CAFCASS assessment.

For children under seven, officers don’t conduct direct interviews. Instead, they observe how your child interacts with you, how settled and comfortable they seem, how they respond in different situations.

For children aged eight and above, your FCA will usually have a direct conversation with them. This isn’t a formal interview. Officers are trained to put children at ease and use age-appropriate approaches like sometimes through play or drawing with younger children, through more natural conversation with older ones.

CAFCASS considers whether a child’s views appear to be freely expressed and takes their age and maturity into account. A child having a strong preference does not mean they get to decide the outcome. The court balances what a child wants against what the welfare checklist says they need.

Home Environment (If a Section 7 Is Ordered)

If the court orders a Section 7 assessment, a CAFCASS officer may visit your home.

They may consider whether your child has a safe and suitable environment, appropriate sleeping arrangements and the basic provisions they need.

Your home does not need to look perfect. What actually concerns officers: genuine safety hazards (exposed wiring, no working smoke alarm, broken windows on upper floors), no appropriate food for a child, no evidence that your child has a presence in the home, or anything that suggests instability or neglect.

If your child is with you during the visit, your officer will also observe how you interact – how you respond when they need something, how you speak to them, how they seem around you.

What Questions Does CAFCASS Ask Parents?

The safeguarding phone call usually comes before anything else – before any home visit, before your first hearing. And most parents aren’t prepared for it. It feels like a big moment because it is one. What you say goes directly into your CAFCASS officer’s report. Here’s exactly what to expect.

Questions About Your Child

The CAFCASS officer will want to understand your child as a person, rather than simply hearing about the dispute between you and the other parent.

Expect questions like:

What is a typical day like when your child is with you?
What does your child enjoy doing?
What tends to upset or worry them?
How are they doing at school?
How are they getting on with friends?
Have you noticed any recent changes in their behaviour?
How do you think your child is coping with the separation?

Try to answer from your own observations. Specific examples are usually more useful than general statements such as my child is always happy with me.

Questions About Your Parenting

CAFCASS may ask about your everyday life with your child to understand how you care for them and meet their needs.

What does a normal week look like for you and your child?
What happens when your child misbehaves?
What is their usual bedtime routine?
Who helps you with childcare?
What support do you have from family or friends?

Questions About the Other Parent

You will probably be asked about your current relationship and communication with the other parent.

For example:

How do you currently communicate with each other?
What contact arrangements are in place?
How is your child responding to those arrangements?
Do you have concerns about your child spending time with the other parent?
Are there difficulties with handovers or communication?

If there are allegations in your case, you’ll be asked to explain what happened, in your own words.

This is where staying focused can really help. Explain the incident, give relevant facts and describe how it affects your child. You don’t need to turn the call into a complete history of everything that has gone wrong between you and the other parent.

Questions About Your Home and Circumstances

Where do you live, and do you have appropriate space for your child?
Is anyone else living in the household with you?
Are there any health concerns for you or for your child, the officer should know about?

If there’s a new partner involved or other adults in the home, be upfront. CAFCASS will ask about them and potentially want to meet them as part of a home visit.

What Not to Say to CAFCASS

What you say matters, but you don’t need to treat the phone call like an exam where you have to give the perfect answer.

A few things are worth keeping in mind.

– Don’t spend the whole call listing the other parent’s faults. Answer the question you’ve been asked and bring the focus back to your child.

– Don’t make allegations you cannot support. If you have a genuine safeguarding concern, explain what happened, when it happened and why you believe it matters. Your solicitor or McKenzie Friend can help you understand what evidence may be relevant.

– Don’t tell the officer what conclusion they should reach. You can explain your concerns and provide relevant information. The CAFCASS officer’s role is to assess the situation and advise the court.

– Don’t speak for your child. Saying “my daughter wants to live with me” or “my son hates going to his dad’s” puts words into your child’s mouth. Explain what you have personally observed and allow the officer to form their own view of your child’s wishes and feelings.

– And perhaps most importantly – don’t be evasive about your own history. If there’s a criminal record, previous social services involvement, or a period of mental health difficulty, don’t try to hide it. CAFCASS will already have found it through their checks. Acknowledging it calmly and providing context is always better than denial. Denial is what damages credibility.

One practical tip before your CAFCASS call: you’re allowed to take notes during a phone call. Do it. Write down what was asked and what you said. If anything ends up misrepresented in the safeguarding letter, your notes are your reference point.

Can You Challenge a CAFCASS Report?

Yes, you can challenge a CAFCASS report if you believe it has significant errors or does not properly reflect the evidence in your case. But, simply disagreeing with the recommendation usually isn’t enough. You need to explain what is wrong and support your position where possible.

Valid Grounds to Challenge a CAFCASS Report:

– Factual errors if the report contains information that is demonstrably incorrect

– The officer failed to give proper weight to your child’s expressed wishes and feelings

– The reasoning in the report doesn’t reflect the evidence gathered during the assessment

– New information or a major change in circumstances has emerged since the report was written

– The officer didn’t interview a relevant person or failed to consider important documents

If you believe the report is flawed, here’s how to approach it:

Go to the officer first. If there are factual errors, contact your CAFCASS officer directly and ask for corrections before the report is filed with the court. This is the quickest route for straightforward mistakes.
File a written response to the court. Before your final hearing, you can submit a document setting out your specific disagreements with the report’s findings or recommendations. Keep it focused and evidence-based, just not emotional.
Cross-examine the Family Court Adviser at the hearing. You have the right to question the officer about their assessment, their methodology, and their conclusions. This works best when you’re prepared with specific, targeted questions rather than a general attack on their competence.

If you’re representing yourself at a final hearing, our guide on going to family court without a lawyer covers how to prepare and what to expect.
Request an addendum report. If circumstances have genuinely changed since the report was written like a parent has moved, new concerns have arisen, your child’s situation has shifted, then you can ask the court to direct CAFCASS to update their assessment.
Apply for independent expert evidence. In exceptional cases, where the CAFCASS assessment is seriously disputed and the stakes are high, you can apply for permission to instruct an independent social worker or child psychologist. This is not a straightforward route and courts don’t grant it readily, but it is an option.

The honest reality is this: if your challenge is that I don’t like what they concluded, you’re unlikely to get far. If your challenge is okay, here is specific evidence that contradicts what this report says, you have a case worth pursuing.

Frequently Asked Questions About CAFCASS

Is CAFCASS the same as social services?

No – and this is one of the most important distinctions to understand. Social services (Children’s Services) has the power to investigate families and, in serious cases, apply to remove a child from their home. CAFCASS has no such powers. Their role is advisory. They assess, report, and recommend, but the judge makes all decisions. The two organisations are completely separate.

How long does a CAFCASS Section 7 report take?

A Section 7 report typically takes between 12 and 16 weeks from the date the court orders it. In more complex cases or where CAFCASS caseloads are high, it can take longer. Your final hearing will usually be listed after the report is filed, so the Section 7 timeline has a direct knock-on effect on how long your overall case takes.

What happens if I disagree with the CAFCASS report?

You can challenge it, but you need solid grounds, not just disagreement. Your options include requesting factual corrections directly from the officer, filing a written response to the court, cross-examining the Family Court Adviser at your final hearing, or applying for an addendum report if circumstances have changed. We’ve covered this in detail in the section above.

Will CAFCASS visit my home?

Not necessarily. A home visit only happens if the court orders a full Section 7 welfare report. If your case is resolved at the first hearing or through agreement, there may be no home visit at all. If a Section 7 is ordered, expect your officer to visit both parents’ homes as part of that assessment.

Does CAFCASS always recommend one parent over the other?

No. CAFCASS does not automatically choose one parent. The FCA assesses what arrangements they believe would best meet your child’s welfare needs and may recommend different arrangements depending on the evidence.

Can I record my CAFCASS interview?

You have the right to request to record your meeting, but you must inform your Family Court Adviser beforehand. Secretly (covertly) recording an officer or child without permission can be viewed unfavourably by the court and may harm your credibility. If you want to record for your own reference, be upfront about it. You can always take written notes during the interview.

What if my child is too young to be interviewed by CAFCASS?

Children under approximately seven years old aren’t formally interviewed. Instead, your CAFCASS officer will observe: how your child interacts with each parent, how settled and secure they seem, and how they respond in different environments. For children between seven and around ten, officers use age-appropriate conversations rather than formal questioning. The weight given to a child’s views increases with age and maturity.

Does CAFCASS check your social media?

CAFCASS does not routinely monitor personal social media accounts. But, if the other parent submits screenshots as evidence, or if the court directs an investigation into specific online safeguarding concerns, your social media posts will be reviewed. Anything you post publicly about your lifestyle, allegations, or ongoing court proceedings can be presented to the judge.

CAFCASS Process: Affordable Support in the UK

The CAFCASS process can feel much easier to manage when you understand what happens next and have someone to help you prepare. Knowing what to say on a safeguarding call, understanding what’s in your safeguarding letter, preparing a position statement, or simply having someone explain what happened at your last hearing – these are the moments where having the right support makes a genuine difference.

A McKenzie Friend can help you prepare for a CAFCASS safeguarding call, understand your safeguarding letter, organise your evidence, prepare a position statement and provide practical support at court.

A McKenzie Friend is different from a solicitor. They can sit with you in court, help you organise your case and provide guidance, but they generally cannot speak to the judge or conduct advocacy on your behalf unless the court gives permission.

At McKenzie Friend Service, Preenay Chohan works specifically with parents who are self-representing in family court proceedings. Whether you’re preparing for your first CAFCASS call, trying to make sense of a Section 7 report, or heading toward a final hearing, support is available at a fraction of the cost of traditional legal representation.

If you’d like to talk through where you are in the process, fill in our consultation form or call us on 0121 468 9596 for a free 30-minute consultation.