Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)

CAFCASS stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

The service:

• represents children in family court cases in England
• puts children’s needs, wishes and feelings first
• makes sure that children’s voices are heard at the heart of the family court setting, and that decisions are made in their best interests
• is independent of the courts, social services, education and health authorities and all similar agencies
• safeguards and promotes the welfare of children going through the family justice system.

The experienced Family Court Advisers may be asked by the court to work with families and then advise the court on the best interests of children involved in:

• divorce and separation, sometimes called ‘private law’, where parents or carers can’t agree on arrangements for their children
• care proceedings, sometimes called ‘public law’, where social services have serious concerns about the safety or welfare of a child
• adoption, which can be either public or private law. 

Professionals can access:

• resources 
• Child Impact Assessment Framework (CIAF)
• Cafcass positive co-parenting programme.