Attending family court protocol published

A new protocol has been published and shared with our partners in the family justice system. This protocol provides direction on how and when Cafcass staff should attend court during the first phase of our COVID-19 recovery.

Cafcass staff will continue to attend remote hearings, but where it is necessary for a Family Court Adviser to physically attend a court hearing, an assessment will be made about the vulnerabilities of the staff member and the safety measurements in place at the court.

Cafcass closed all its offices on 20 March 2020 and since this date all work with children, families and the family courts has been conducted remotely. We have continued to operate business as usual as far as possible, filing reports, attending remote hearings and progressing cases accordingly.

Cafcass needs to provide representation for children and assistance to the court whilst ensuring we are not putting anyone at risk. The full protocol can be viewed here.