Guidance has been issued by the chief executives of Cafcass/Cafcass Cymru in order to clarify the best way in which children can be helped by Cafcass/Cafcass Cymru in the family courts throughout England and Wales, during a time of record levels of demand for services. Cafcass/Cafcass Cymru plan to deliver more defined interventions in cases going beyond the first hearing than the traditional section 7 report and they intend to pilot new child impact reports for 3-6 months in Essex, York and North Yorkshire and South West Wales. The threshold for asking Cafcass/Cafcass Cymru to carry out work beyond the first hearing should be a concern about significant child impact, not the fact that the parental dispute is continuing in court.
http://blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk/family/new-guidance-from-cafcass-and-cafcass-cymru/
