[Solved] CAFCASS Safeguarding Letter

Hopefully someone with more legal knowledge will also advise here, but if an allegation has been made, then the court does have to take this seriously and order a report to be done to see if there is any truth in the matter - don't forget that although you know the allegations are false, the court doesn't know that at this stage. Hopefully, the report will show that the allegation are false, but you have to go through the process to get to this conclusion.

Hi longjohn,

Firstly sorry to hear about the situation you're facing at present - it's not nice for any parent and that long a gap between seeing your child is difficult, I know. Do try and keep your spirits up as best possible for your daughter's sake.

For clarity, did CAFCASS use the word 'supported' or 'supervised' with regard to contact (there is a difference). As I understood it, supported contact takes place in a contact centre, but isn't the sort of one-on-one contact with someone sitting in a room with you the entire time that supervised contact offers. As a result, if you can't find a free option, the likelihood is supervised will be more expensive. In either instance, if you are allowed to put forward a position (and it has to be in a contact centre), try suggesting 'supported' contact. I had to do it that way, and it wasn't perfect but at least I didn't feel like an experiment or being watched the entire time with my daughter, and just got to enjoy the time with her.

Not sure other forum members thoughts, but I'd certainly put forward the suggestion myself to the court/CAFCASS in the (albeit likely) event that mum doesn't for contact at a contact centre. Maybe even go as far as to word it in that way - i.e. to reassure mother and for the avoidance of doubt as your ability to look after your child, for simplicity, for your own safety, that you'd be happy for contact whilst the proceedings are happening to take place in a contact centre. I doubt it's the same for every case, but be prepared that contact might start of small but frequent i.e. just a few hours a week/every other week. You may be smart/lucky based on the length of your proceedings to request it written about how contact should progress during this period, even if it remains in a contact centre.

Main thing, try and get contact re-established sooner rather than later, once you've got it (and assuming you don't mess up along the way), it is harder for them to take back. You'll probably here throughout your own case, this forum, everywhere, about the consistency that is aimed to be built in a child's life. It's important where you can illustrate you are part of that consistency.

An important point (and I can't stress it enough), make sure you remain calm, rational and reasonable with any of your discussions with CAFCASS. That doesn't mean you cannot express your upset, but show that you appreciate the process and their time as best you can do in the current circumstance. This was something that CAFCASS reflected in their S7 report for my own case (the fact that father respected the process, and has shown ability to be calm/rational even when contact was stopped/new concerns raised). It was used to help justify their final position that mother's claims about my inability to be calm, DV etc didn't have merit, and no fact-finding was required. In fact, their stance was that mother's emotional fragility might be a factor, and that contact should be 3 days with me each week. Again, each case, officer, court is different, but the point stands that you'll likely get much further this way.

Not sure if it helps, especially since you've raised you've done nothing wrong, but try and think if you'd raised a claim against mother and the shoe was on the other foot. I think most of us would want the court/CAFCASS to be thorough in making sure any safeguarding concerns were investigated fully.

Just a check, has mother made any allegations against your ability to care for your daughter or just DV against her? Are you aware of any police calls etc, that might bolster her position? Also do you have a date in for your next hearing?

Best of luck,
Concerned Daddy.

Hi there

actd and concerneddaddy are right, the courts wouldn't be doing their job if they ignored allegations, without investigating them and that the s what a Section 7 report will do.

Depending on the age of your child and how long ago you had contact with her, contact centres are used for a short period of time to allow both father and child to reestablish their relationship in a safe and child friendly environment. Rather than looking at it as a judgement that you can't look after her, just look at it as a step in the process to get a contact schedule in place.

Hi there

actd and concerneddaddy are right, the courts wouldn't be doing their job if they ignored allegations, without investigating them and that the s what a Section 7 report will do.

Depending on the age of your child and how long ago you had contact with her, contact centres are used for a short period of time to allow both father and child to reestablish their relationship in a safe and child friendly environment. Rather than looking at it as a judgement that you can't look after her, just look at it as a step in the process to get a contact schedule in place.