A sibling relationship is likely to last longer than any other. When this relationship is disrupted, or not maintained, the impact can be considerable. The FJYPB have developed some top tips for professionals when working with siblings:
#NationalSiblingDay
We are pleased to announce Jacky Tiotto will be joining Cafcass as our new Chief Executive. She will lead our social workers and corporate staff in achieving the best possible outcomes for children and their families who are going through the family courts
As you can see, we're very proud to have won the Safeguarding Award this evening. There is more information about the Cafcass Positive co-Parenting Programme on our website
Cafcass has published guidance to support children and families as the situation surrounding COVID-19 develops. We will do everything we can to help families and make sure that our service continues to run as effectively as possible
Today we publish the Child Impact Assessment Framework, which brings together existing and new guidance and tools that our social workers can use to help assess different case factors and how these affect the children we work with in private law cases.
Good mental health lets children and young people develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. Getting regular exercise and playing indoors or outdoors can help to keep mentally well.
#NationalPlayDay
#MentalHealth
If you need to find trusted information about co-parenting during the pandemic and beyond, you can now visit the Co-Parent Hub – a free online resource for separated families that links together knowledge from across the family justice sector:
Families looking to improve communication between separated parents or carers can follow the Getting it Right for Children programme on the Co-Parent Hub. This shows how different ways of communicating can improve relationships. The hub is free to access:
Separated families can use the online parenting plan on the new Co-Parent Hub to negotiate effective co-parenting arrangements that are in the best interests of each child involved. The hub is free to access here:
"Making sure that the voice of the child is heard lies at the heart of the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service." The Guardian goes behind the scenes at our National Commissioning Team:
We want to make sure we are supporting children and families as much as possible. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to support you and your family during the Coronavirus pandemic, by filling in this online survey before 14 May:
There are 114,720 children of divorced parents living in the UK according to
@ONS
and that is why we think co-parenting is important. We’re looking forward to our co-parenting conference later this week
#CoP4C
The second sign that we are sharing as part of Sign Language Week also highlights World Social Work Day 2022. Today’s sign is “Social worker”.
#SLW2022
#WSWD2022
We are excited for the launch of In Our Shoes, which is the first ever book written by the Family Justice Young People’s Board. The book officially launches on 27 January - watch this space for further information.
The Cafcass Positive co-Parenting Programme (CPPP) has been embedded into national practice after a successful two-year pilot. Find out more on our website
It’s day three of
#familymediationweek
and
@FamilyMedWeek
are talking about hearing the voice of the child when parents are separating. The Family Justice Young People’s Board shared their tips on listening to children when separating.
Thank you to all the children who submitted a design for the Cafcass Christmas card. Here are all the wonderful submissions. Wait until the end to see the winner chosen by the Family Justice Young People’s Board.
And we are live at the Social Worker of the Year Awards 2023! 🌟 Tonight, we celebrate the inspiring work and dedication of social workers across the country.
#SWA23
Thanks to everyone that joined us today. We had a great time.
It’s goodbye for now from the FJYPB ✌️Look out for our news story tomorrow to know what we got up to
#VOTC2019
In case you missed it, Cafcass has a dedicated telephone line called Hear to Listen. This freephone service is for children and young people to share their feedback about family court proceedings.
We represent children in family court cases in England. We put children’s needs, wishes and feelings first, and make sure that their voices are heard at the heart of the family court setting.
Did you know that children are able to write directly to the judge about their case? This
#NationalWritingDay
, read the advice our Family Justice Young People’s Board gave to practitioners on bringing children's voices to life in court reports.
In case you missed it, here is the official Cafcass festive card. Congratulations to Betty, aged 11, for winning the competition. Thank you to all the children and young people who submitted a design.
Throughout 2022, the Family Justice Young People’s Board will work with all Cafcass staff to help them use language that children and their families understand. Find out more information on the Word Busting project on our website
Many parents find that mediation is quicker, less stressful and less expensive than going to court. Information on mediation and how it can help when you are separating is available on our website.
#FamilyMediationWeek
We have published two new protocols setting out how we will return to seeing children and families in person, and how we will start using our offices again during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our statement and both protocols are on our website
This week, we'll be sharing our
#TopTips
for parents navigating separation, as told to us by our friends at
#FJYPB
. They recommend centring the voice of your child throughout your separation, and here's how:
Young people are calling for change when it comes to sibling relationships and the law. What should happen next? Find out what our Chief Executive, Anthony Douglas thinks in his blog about
@SiblingsLaw
ANNOUNCEMENT: Cafcass judged to be ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted >
Decisions for children in family justice are life changing. Our work continues until all children and families judge us to be ‘outstanding’ in every engagement with us.
Tuesday 17 March is World Social Work Day. Next week, we’ll be sharing top tips from the Family Justice Young People’s Board on how feedback and communication can improve relationships between social workers and young people
#WSWD2020
The Family Justice Young People’s Board has published a new COVID-19 (coronavirus) information booklet for children and young people which is packed full of great advice. Click here to download it
FJYPB member Katie opens the launch. She says that the FJYPB hope the book will be in the hands and minds of all family justice professionals and provide an opportunity for learning and reflection.
So what next? Cafcass and
@AFCC
think it’s time that a co-parenting alliance is set-up to gather international learning an ensure that families get the help they need. Today’s conference should be the start of a positive move towards this.
#CoP4C
Well done to Carole Goodman for winning the Lifetime Achievement Award this evening. Here she is picking up her award from
@lorrainepascale
and the other presenters at tonight’s
#SWA19
‘Try to ensure that the child ceases to be a name and description on a piece of paper. It can transform into a human being’ - Sir Andrew McFarlane
#VOTC2019
Noticed anything different?
We've gone blue for World Children's Day.
We work with children and young people in family court cases and we want to make sure that their voices are heard and decisions are taken in their best interests.
#GoBlue
#WorldChildrensDay
Children, Young People and the people who matter most to them are at the centre of our work and this strategy.
We want them to get the service that is right for their needs.
Huge congratulations goes to Sarah Parsons for winning the Silver Lifetime Achievement Award at
#SWA23
! Your lifelong commitment to supporting children and families has changed countless lives for the better and your 20+ years working at Cafcass has inspired us all!
When families are separating, children and young people can often feel overwhelmed and unsure of the future. The Cafcass Co-Parent Hub shows how children’s voices can be heard in the mediation process
#familymediationweek
The Family Justice Young People’s Board held their first Voice of the Child webinar today about the impact of Covid-19 and domestic abuse on children and young people. Read a summary of the webinar on our website:
Congratulations to
@OnlyMums
and
@OnlyDads
on their book launch yesterday. Look out for the pages on Cafcass which help to explain our role in the family court. The book is a great resource for families and professionals. For more information see here:
This week is British Sign Language Week. Every day we will be sharing a sign from our Deaf colleague who is a peer practice specialist for working with Deaf children and families. Today’s sign is “Good morning.”
#SLW2022
On World Youth Skills Day, we'd like to celebrate our Family Justice Young People’s Board for their fantastic work organising their Voice of the Child conference, which takes place next Wednesday. We can't wait! Watch
this space for more info about the event
#votc2019
#WYSD2019
Yesterday’s Voice of the Child Conference stimulated a great discussion
about mental health and the related issues which some children face when they
go through family court proceedings.
Read about the
#VOTC2019
on our website
We're marking the 30th anniversary of the Children Act 1989 this November by asking our Family Court Advisers and Guardians about their experiences with the Children Act and how it changed their work.
Find out more about our plans here:
Congratulations to the Family Justice Young People’s Board who have published their first book - In Our Shoes. The book shares their unique experiences of the family justice system. Find out more here
The Co-Parent Hub has lots of useful trusted information about co-parenting, including the online parenting plan, Getting it Right for Children programme and the Separated Parents Information Programme (SPIP). The hub is free to access here:
Happy New Year! We're pleased to announce that Richard Morris, an assistant director at Cafcass, was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours list for services to children in England. Find out more:
Today is World Social Work Day. To mark this important date, the national Principal Social Worker (PSW) network has created an e-book. Cafcass Chief Executive, Anthony Douglas contributed to the e-book.
#WSWD19
Thought provoking message from one of our older Family Justice Young People's Board members... What do you think about this? #
#ChildrensMentalHealthWeek2019
Congratulations to our Chief Executive, Anthony Douglas, on winning the Outstanding Contribution Award at The Social Worker of the Year Awards recently.