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this afternoon and trying to get a 'steer' on how it went.
I think it went well.. I was very calm and respectful and followed all the usual CAFCASS call do's and don'ts suggested by people in the know.
The officer said at the end of the call, that she wouldn't need a Section 7 report as there are no safeguarding concerns.
But she did bring up a couple of things (early in the call) which has made me a little worried.. ie;
- how do you handle getting 'frustrated'? "I take the dog for a walk and / or try and see things from someone else's perspective"
- would you say you 'monitored' your family? "we had a baby monitor and beyond that I had a Canary camera thing so I could check-in in on our infant daughter from time to time if I was away overnight with work. Plus my partner and I had AirTags on our car keys but I couldn't track hers as it was only linked to her phone"
The above two points do suggest to me that the words 'domestic abuse' have been tossed around, but I have not heard mention of it from the ex's solicitor (I don't have one) who wrote me a lengthy letter explaining why I shouldn't have overnights for a number of 'reasons', our mediator (which she refuses to engage with anymore), there is no C1A filed in response to my C100 (as far as I know). So if allegations are coming, they would have to drop them at our FHDRA next month, which I'm told would be very/ too late in the day to be taken seriously.
The CAFCASS officer also said that her report would only have a sentence or two from my conversation, but there would be a fair bit more from my ex as I have not brought up any safeguarding concerns about her..
Surely if the CAFCASS call was a disaster she would have ordered a Section 7 report?
What do you guys think??
hi,
if what Cafcass officer stated is indeed true, then this would be a great outcome for you. section 7 reports are now taking up to 18 weeks to complete! so if there no safeguarding concerns, then in theory you should have an easy time in court so to speak. things like S7 and fact finding keep you in court for several months longer. some of the things the cafcass person brought up are no doubt allegations your ex has made. she probably alleges you have anger issues or are controlling. If cafcass think their trivial, then they will most likely dismiss those allegations.
Cafcass officers commonly play devils advocate by asking both parents a few “tough” questions. It’s not cross examination but are simply for discovery or to provoke either party to consider behaviour that has been raised as a concern by the other party.
However Cafcass don’t test evidence or determine fact. Therefore you should not take anything they write in the report as a verdict.
Regarding a section 7 report. There is still a possibility that one might be ordered at FHDRA.
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