5.4 Section 7 reports
At the first hearing, the court will decide whether further investigation is needed. If the court decides that they need further information from Cafcass, they will order Cafcass to provide a more detailed report. You will hear this being referred to as a ‘Section 7’ Report. This will take place after the court has decided any disputed facts in the case at a finding of fact hearing.
The case will be allocated to a Cafcass Court Advisor who will prepare the report, which will focus on the concerns around the child’s welfare. A
The Court Advisor will create a case plan and identify any gaps in the evidence and what needs to be addressed. The report will include:
- Wider checks with agencies e.g. school,
women’s aid /drug and alcohol services, etc. - Interviews with each parent face-to-face
- An interview with the child (either at the Cafcass office, at home or at school).
Did you know?
Cafcass always try to see the child, regardless of their age. Even a young child can answer “who is in your family?”, which can give a good idea of who is and is not included within the family unit.
The Section 7 report will ultimately make recommendations to the Court. These recommendations can be tested in court by the parents to understand how and why the Court Advisor reached those conclusions. Conclusions can include:
Attendance at a course or programme
A recommendation that a party attends a course or programme, for example a
Child Contact Intervention (CCI)
A short term intervention for supervised contact where a child is reintroduced to a parent. Cafcass will fund 12 hours of work, typically over a 8 – 10 week timescale (although this may vary depending on the services available in each location). This will involve preparation with parents and the child. Contact will be supervised, and the observations relayed to Cafcass. It will only be commissioned if necessary (i.e. it is not a substitute for paying for supervised contact) and contact would then often move to a supported contact centre.
Recommendations are “stepped” to make it clear what steps need to be taken to bring the case to a close.
Activity 3
Have you been involved as a volunteer in a case involving a section 7 report? If so, did Cafcass recommend any of these orders or something different?
Comment
You may not have come across Cafcass in your volunteering yet, or you may have supported clients where Cafcass have produced section 7 reports making a variety of recommendations. If you have experienced orders other than those noted above, you may be able to find out more information about the order which was made on the Cafcass website.
5.3 Cafcass initial involvement and the safeguarding letter