In courts running the Child Focused Model, the most important document in the early part of your case is the Child Impact Report. It is written by CafcassCafcass is the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. It is independent of the court and of both parents, and its job is to advise the court about what is best for a child. (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, the independent body that advises the family court about children's welfare) and it lands before the first hearing. This post explains what it is, what goes into it, and how to prepare for your part in it.
What it replaces
Under the older Child Arrangements Programme, Cafcass carries out safeguarding checks (police and local authority records) and a short phone call with each parent, then writes a safeguarding letter for the first hearing. If the court wants a fuller picture it orders a welfare report under section 7 reportA section 7 report is a welfare report about what is best for a child, written for the court by Cafcass or the local authority when the court asks for one. It makes recommendations; the decision stays with the court. of the Children Act 1989 later, which typically takes twelve to sixteen weeks.
The Child Impact Report brings much of that work forward into one document, produced before the first hearing.
What goes into it
Cafcass gathers information from several places: checks with the police and the local authority, updates from the child's school where relevant, conversations with each parent, and, where appropriate for the child's age and circumstances, a conversation with the child about their wishes and feelings. Under the model, the proportion of children spoken to before a decision has more than doubled.
The report then sets out, in plain terms, what the dispute is doing to the child, what risks have been identified, what each parent is asking for, and what Cafcass thinks would help. It goes to the court and to both parents before the hearing.
The conversation with Cafcass
You will be contacted for an interview, usually by phone or video, sometimes in person. It is worth being ready for it. These are the things Cafcass officers typically want to understand:
- Your child's daily life and routine
- What the arrangements are now, and how they came to be that way
- What you would like the arrangements to be, and why you think that is right for your child
- Any worries you have about your child's safety or wellbeing, with dates and specifics where you have them
- How you and the other parent communicate
A few practical points that people who have been through it tend to mention. Keep the focus on your child rather than on the other parent. Be factual: dates, what happened, what was said. If you have concerns about abuse or safety, say so clearly; the model is designed so that this is picked up at the start and you may be referred to a specialist domestic abuse service for support. If you don't know something, say you don't know. Cafcass officers read a great many cases and clarity is more persuasive than volume.
If Cafcass speaks to your child
This depends on age and circumstances. Where it happens, it is done by a trained officer, usually at school or another neutral place, and the aim is to understand what the child feels and wants, not to ask them to choose. You will not usually be present. Most parents find it helps to tell the child in simple terms that someone whose job is to help the court understand children will be coming to chat, and that there are no right or wrong answers.
When you receive the report
Read it carefully, more than once. Note anything you think is factually wrong, with the correct information and any document that supports it. Note anything you agree with. Under the model, the first hearing often moves quickly to decisions, so the court will want to know your response to the report at that hearing. A short, calm, written response, organised under the report's own headings, is the format courts find easiest to work with.
How familycourt.app and McKenzie can help
McKenzie explains each part of the Child Impact Report in plain English and shows where it sits on your case map. Document Studio has a template for preparing your own response to a Cafcass report, organised under the report's headings with your supporting documents linked, so what you take to the hearing is clear and easy for the judge to follow.