I want to give feedback or make a complaint - Children & young people

Children and young people can call our freephone ‘Hear to Listen’ service on 0808 175 3333 to provide feedback on how we did. 

We want your feedback 

Please tell us how we did when we worked with you and your family during your family court proceedings. We want to hear from you if you thought we helped and supported you, or if you want to tell us about something we could have done differently. Please use this form to provide us with your feedback.

• Did you understand what was happening during your family court proceedings?
• Did you feel that we listened to you?
• Did we share our thinking and recommendations to the court with you?
• What could we have done better? 

We need this information for us to learn and so we can improve the service we provide to other children and young people who may be going through a similar experience to you. 

We welcome complaints!  

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to tell us if things didn’t feel quite right to you and if you want to complain to us about something we did. There are several different ways that you can complain to us or give us feedback. 

Our simple factsheet explains the different ways you can tell us about something you were unhappy with and what will happen when you do. We will reply to you within one working day to acknowledge your concern and you can expect to hear from us again within 10 working days. Please see the factsheet for details of how to send us your concerns. We also have practice quality standards that explain ‘what good looks like’ when we work with you on your complaint. 

View our form for a child or young person making a complaint.

View our Children's complaints policy.

1. What we have learnt about working with you

• We have learnt that it is important to check we have the right contact details and that we can reach you.
• We have learnt that responding quickly to calls and emails, and doing what we say we will, helps build trust.

2. What we have learnt about communication

• We have learnt that you need clear explanations about what we will tell the court.
• We have learnt to check that you understand what we say.
• We have learnt the importance of explaining our role and what we do. That having letters that explain who we are, who you will meet and what they will want to talk to you about makes you feel less worried.
• We have also learnt to explain clearly what we must do if we are worried about your safety.

3. What we have learnt about working together

• We have learnt that it is important to you that your wishes and feelings are shared with the court.  Writing to the judge directly is something you value.
• We have learnt that listening carefully when you tell us about yourself helps you feel understood.
• We have learnt that clear and honest explanations help you feel informed and supported. 
• We have also learnt that it is important to explain that sometimes we cannot support all your wishes and feelings if we believe they may not be safe for you.

4. What we have learnt about awareness

• We have learnt that understanding different needs and experiences is essential.
• We have learnt that ongoing training helps staff do this well.

5. What we have learnt about sharing your views

• We have learnt to check back with you about our recommendations to the court.
• We have learnt to make sure we understand how you feel about them.
• We have learnt how important it is to include your views in our reports.
• We have learnt to use your own words where possible to reflect your voice accurately.

How to give us your feedback 

To provide feedback about your experience with us, here is a form for you to use. It has been designed with the young people on the Family Justice Young People’s Board (FJYPB) to make it as easy as possible for you to fill in. 

There are a few different ways that you can either send the feedback form to us or tell us your feedback. Just pick the method below that suits you best. 

1. If you are based in the UK, you can telephone our Hear to Listen freephone service: 0808 175 3333. If you are based outside the UK, please call our international Hear to Listen number: 0330 403 0300 (local rates may apply). You can use our Hear to Listen telephone line to contact us, during or after your court proceedings, to provide feedback. If your court proceedings have not finished yet, we may ask your Family Court Adviser to call you back and will let them know about your feedback. Telephone lines for this service are currently open from 9am – 5pm (Monday to Thursday), and 9am – 4:30pm (Friday), but we will review demand for this service and whether we should make the number available at other times, such as evenings and weekends.
2. You can fill in the feedback form above on your phone or computer, or save it to your device and then email it to us at: customerfeedback@cafcass.gov.uk
3. You can print out the form, fill it in and post it to us at: Cafcass PO Box 5076, Slough, SL1 0RX.
4. You can speak to your Family Court Adviser or Guardian and give them the feedback you wish to share with us directly. 

What will happen next 

If you have told us about a concern or something that you feel we could have done better, we will contact you and offer to discuss your views with one of our managers. The manager will listen and be respectful and can meet you at a time that is convenient for you. We want to provide you with a response in writing within 10 working days.

If you have told us that things have gone well or provided us with some ideas on how we can improve things, then we will share this information appropriately within Cafcass to ensure your voice leads to improvements for other children and young people. We will not share your information with anyone outside Cafcass.