Resources for parents and carers

• Adoption Contact Register – information about contact between people who have been adopted and their birth relatives
• After Adoption – information about adoption
• Adoption following a placement order
• British Association of Adoption and Fostering – help and advice about adoption
• Children relinquished for adoption
• Natural Parents Network – support for parents in adoption
• Partner adoption
• Potential adoptors
• Top tips for parents working with the Children’s Guardian in public law proceedings

Northern Ireland

• Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency

 

Republic of Ireland

• Department for Children and Youth Affairs
• Ombudsman for Children

 

Scotland

• Children’s Hearings department of the Scottish Executive
• Scottish Administration’s Children’s Reporter Website

 

Wales

• Cafcass Cymru

• Keeping children safe: care proceedings (public law factsheet)
• Top tips for parents working with the Children’s Guardian in public law proceedings

• Gov.uk – information on changing a child’s name and parental responsibility

• Indirect contact factsheet

• National Association of Child Contact Centres – information about contact centres

• British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy – provides information about counselling and psychotherapy
• Life Coach Directory – a support network of UK life coaches
• Marriage Care – relationship counselling and support
• Relate – advice about relationships

• Divorce Support Group – offers expert, one-to-one support or support in small groups for men and women coping with the pain of separation or divorce.
• Putting your children first
• Relate – advice about relationships
• Separated Parents Information Programme
• 2Houses – A Family Organiser with synchronised calendar feature. It also has an information bank, journal, and financial arrangements tab. . This app is available on all smartphones, for the cost of £74.99 a year. A more basic version of this app is available called ‘Teamwork Family’, which also allows you to manage your calendar, for free.
• Amicable – Useful divorce guides, tips and support. Also contains a free app for goal-setting and producing a parenting plan with your ex-partner
• Divorce UK – Explains the court process, and provides legal advice relevant to England and Wales. Also has useful advice and videos, for people going through the divorce process. (iOS only).
• Top tips for parents on the impact of parental separation and court proceedings on children.

• Completing a DNA test

• Directory of Providers – list of DAPP providers.
• Domestic abuse factsheet
• Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme factsheet
• Transparency Project guidance note – this new guidance note takes parents and professionals through the main aspects of how domestic abuse is dealt with in the family court.

• Ministry of Justice – The Ministry of Justice website has a directory of accredited mediation providers in your area
• Family Mediation Council website.
• National Family Mediation

• Family Lives – support for parents and children
• Family Rights Group – advice for parents and families with a child in the care system during the Coronavirus Crisis.
• Getting some extra help: Family Assistance Orders
• Relate  – advice about relationships

If you are unhappy with the service you have received and would like to make a complaint please see the factsheet below.

• Concerns and complaints factsheet

• Ministry of Justice – advice and information on the family justice system
• Department of Health – information on health related issues and adult social care
• Gov.uk – access to all government sites
• Department for Education – information about children and families, young people, parents, education and skills
• Ofsted – the organisation in charge of all Cafcass inspections

• Ask the Experts: 10 tips for parents about children and separation
• The Association for Shared Parenting – provides support for parents after separation or divorce
• Families Need Fathers – information and support for parents of either sex
• Family Rights Group – advice and support for families whose children are involved with social services. Family Rights Group also has advice for women experiencing domestic violence when social services are involved in their family.
• Fatherhood Institute – the National Information Centre on Fatherhood.
• Gingerbread – support for lone parents
• MATCH – non-judgemental emotional support for all mothers living apart from their children.
• NFPI – National Family and Parenting Institute – support for parents.
• Natural Parents Network – support for parents in adoption.
• Parenting Plan PDF
  • Order the Parenting Plan
  • Parenting Plan: summary of progress
  • Parenting Plan French
  • Parenting Plan Gujarati
  • Parenting Plan Urdu
  • Parenting Plan Punjabi
  • Parenting Plan Lithuanian
  • Parenting Plan Polish
• Relate – Family life and parenting – advice and free online counselling for parents concerned about their teenagers getting into serious trouble.
• Reporting Abuse in Education – a dedicated helpline for children and young people who have been victims of abuse and for worried adults and professionals that need support and guidance. Run by fully-trained NSPCC helpline staff.
• Rule 16.4 cases
• Separated Parents Information Programme
  • SPIP Bengali
  • SPIP Polish
  • SPIP Portuguese
  • SPIP Punjabi
  • SPIP Urdu
• Rolling Stone Coaching – the UK’s only co-parent coaching practice that helps separated parents work together cooperatively to bring up their children
• Top tips for separating parents
• Voices in the middle – website that provides advice for parents on talking to and supporting teenagers during divorce and separation

• Advice Now – an independent, not-for-profit website run by the Charity ‘Law for Life’
• Bar Council guide to representing your self in court
• Coram Children’s Legal Centre – advice on child and family law
• Child Law Advice – provided by Coram Children’s Legal Centre, advice for Litigants in person
• Children’s Rights Alliance – human rights for children
• Child Rights Information Network – advice on children’s rights
• Family Court: attending a full hearing – video from HMCTS
• Family Court without a lawyer – video 1 of 3 – Series of videos from family barrister and mediator Lucy Reed
• Family Court without a lawyer – video 2 of 3
• Family Court without a lawyer – video 3 of 3
• How to represent yourself in family court in England and Wales – video from Advice Now
• International abduction
• Judiciary handbook for Litigants in person
• The Law Society – advice on the law, and help with obtaining a solicitor
• Legal Services Commission – information on legal matters and help with legal costs
• Personal Support Unit – free service which helps people represent themselves more effectively in family cases.
• Resolution – advice on finding a solicitor
• Taking a case to court without legal advice – Advice from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau

• Post Cafcass involvement services and organisations

• After the surrogacy process factsheet
• Parental Orders factsheet
• Parental Order Reporter factsheet
• Gov.uk – information about surrogacy in the UK
• HFEA – information about surrogacy from the government’s independent regulator on fertility
• Stonewall – advice for same sex couples
• Surrogacy UK – support for UK surrogacy arrangements
• Brilliant Beginnings – support for UK surrogacy arrangements
• Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy – support for UK surrogacy arrangements
• My Surrogacy Journey – support for UK, US and Canada surrogacy

For more information about myCourtroom, please visit our myCourtoom webpage.

We are keen to hear from children, and families about their experience of our services and the support we provided.  Please use the feedback form for adults or significant others (if you are someone who plays a role in a child’s life a wider family member, carer or professional).  We use this information to help us improve our services.

• Feedback form for Children
• Feedback form for Adults
• Feedback form for Significant others