What is a Section 7 (or S7) Report?
Reasons to choose Wilson Browne
Who are CAFCASS? They are the Court and Family Advisory and Support Service.
They are an independent organisation and separate from the local authority (social services). They help the Court make decisions about what is safe or in the best interest of a child/children.
S7 and safeguarding reports
At the beginning of most cases the Court will ask CAFCASS to write a safeguarding letter which will alert the Court to any potential safeguarding or welfare issues. In completing this report CAFCASS will have conversations with both parties and undertake police and local authority checks. This letter should be completed before the First Hearing Dispute Resolution Appointment.
If your case goes beyond a first hearing, the Court might ask CAFCASS to provide a more detailed assessment known as a Section 7 report. This is a more in depth assessment than the safeguarding letter and once completed will give recommendations to the Court about your child’s welfare and what would be in their best interest. For example, it might say who they think a child should live or spend time with. It might also give some recommendations for work and courses to be undertaken. This report is essentially helping the Court make a decision about the outcome of the application.
When the Court ask CAFCASS to write a Section 7 report you will be allocated a family court advisor (or FCA). This is someone from CAFCASS who will then remain allocated to your case and complete any assessments etc. They will decide what information is needed for the report. They will do this by considering what it is the Court has asked them to look into, any issues identified in the safeguarding letter and anything else they deem relevant.
The FCA will introduce themselves to the whole family, including both parents and the children. They will spend time with each parent talking about the issues and listening to any concerns they might have. It is likely that they will also want to observe you with the children.
If the child/children are old enough then they may want to speak to them alone. They might do this is a venue outside of the home such as school. These conversations will be very child focused and whilst they might touch on the child’s wishes and feelings, they will not ask the child to make a decision about the application (where they want to live or arrangements for contact for example). If your child is not of an age where they can speak or share their feelings then the FCA will observe them with parents to help understand their relationship.
The FCA might also speak to people outside the people in the case, such as extended family members or professionals (teachers, health workers etc).
This report should be available before the next hearing and the CFA will likely share the outcome of it with you before it is completed and sent to the Court. If there are any factual inaccuracies (details such as names, where the children go to school etc) then you can alert your FCA who will amend this hopefully before the hearing.
However, if you do not agree with the content or the recommendations of the report then you need to let the Court know. It is likely that the Court would have asked you to send a statement to them after the report so you can include it here. The Court can then take your statement and concerns into consideration when looking at the Section 7 report and making a decision.
A section 7 report is a very lengthy document and is usually at least 30 pages. There is a lot of important information included within it, and information that the Court will have consideration to when making a decision. It is therefore highly recommended that you seek legal advice if you are unsure about anything, or especially if you are seeking to challenge it.
Within the Childcare Team, our Solicitors have experience of not only representing parents and challenging these reports but acting for CAFCASS appointed Guardians in care proceedings. This gives a real advantage when understanding and challenging assessments of this nature.
Please do not hesitate to contact our Childcare and Social Services Team on 0800 088 6004.
