Cafcass telephone in

[Mami16]

Hi

Has anyone on here had a telephone interview with cafcass? Could you please give me advice/ your experience.

Thanks

Good luck!
Focus on what you are trying to do here - keeping your little ones safe and happy.

(I have a similarly confusing, manipulative, game playing ex and it feels that there's so much to explain and get on record...I'm sure that CAFCASS see this all the time)

Phone call wasn't too bad. It was a male Cafcass worker, he asked about safeguarding concerns, the background, the incidents, police checks and any social services cases. Have no police conviction or safety concerns with social services so glad they checked that.

He had already spoken to the ex so dreading what lies he's told him! Got to wait for a report now and then meet Cafcass worker at the next court case to try come to an agreement with the ex.

Thanks all, feels so good to chat and get everything out!

Great it went well!

I just rang as hadn't heard about a telephone interview date. They told me they'd already spoken to me and given me a date. But they haven't?!

Wondering if they've mixed me up with someone else.i don't understand what's happened but it's making me worry.

That's strange, they must have mistaken you for someone else.

They text me yesterday afternoon to say that they would be phoning me today with a time and if it wasn't convenient for me to phone them to re arrange.

What if you phoned them again? My solicitor told me if I hadn't heard from them to phone them quoting the court case number (but heard from them then) hopefully you will speak to someone else if you phone again? On my court papers it says that Cafcass must submit the report by tomorrow so maybe check again.

If they don't get hold of you it will be noted on the report and you wouldn't have had a chance to say your concerns.

Oh crikey thanks! I've called and asked them to get in touch. Ughh

i found my cafcass conversation to be beyond superficial. Sadly. I dont think they are always very competent with abuse beyond physical. ie they dont seem able to understand other aspects of abuse beyond the obvious.

How did you get on Hullabalooo ?

Spongedog that's quite shocking considering its in law now! Did it jeopardise tour situation... Do you have recourse to challenge this?

They haven't got back to me. I'm ringing them this morning. Worrying about this. Court next week!

Try to be specific about examples of incidents and focus on the facts, rather than saying (for example) 'ex is a rubbish father'. Write these down in advance with approximate dates so that you can refer to your list on the phone.

Thanks!

@Hullabalooo will this be your first court hearing? Cafcass didn't turn up to ours, there was a miss communication problem from their side. I was also worried about not having a phone call before but was told on the day that will be having one soon.

Do check up because I've read on another thread on here that if they try to get hold of you but unable then that goes down on the report. Call them again to check, you must be so worried and just want it over with!

Make sure you get your voice heard, and everything you want/need to say, don't let them shut you down with an 'ok, we have have all we need'.

This is your opportunity to get heard, and to stick to your guns over his behaviour.

I'm waiting for my report any day now. Hope it actually says everything I told them on the phone.

Does anyone have any information about meeting with cafcass at the next hearing? We meet with them for an hour?

If it's your first court hearing then they will be in the room but I don't believe you speak to them before hand.
My dp and his ex didn't.
They will give them advice and recommendations in their plus on the report sent to you.

You will need toake sure all details of the report are exactly as you recalled and recounted them. Flag up any errors on their part, add anything they missed.

Also do you know what you want contact wise? And how you are willing to communicate?
The cafcass officer made it clear that my dp and his ex needed to co parent even though that wasn't going to happen ( you can't just jump in to that when there has been a pattern of not for so long) , and dp will bring that up next time more clearly with examples of how best to communicate while there are such issues.
So you should have a think about that too, only emails and a contact book. Phone calls for emergencies only until you both are able to communicate. When I say 'both' I mean when the other person isn't communicating about the dc it's very hard for you to work reasonably with them, not that your not.

Ii would recommend that you create a email address solely for the purpose of contact with him. This is a clear cut channel.of.communication which if he deviates from is easily evidenced.

Thanks everyone.

It's been very hard to co parent with him, when he's angry there is no reasoning with him or get a say and he makes ridiculous allegations and lies to cover himself.

I like the idea of a separate email address only for our DC. It's got to this point where I don't communicate with him because of his ridiculous allegations and abuse and it is all done through solicitor. The police gave him 'words of advice ' because it was constant harassment and abuse, starting off to do with DC but then it would be about something else and he wouldn't stop.

It's just vile and so sorry you have been suffering this continual harrassment.

The police needed to do more than have a word, its not OK and has to stop, they needed to smack an order on him.

I hope you included this police involvement to support your case?

Good luck with court. Take support with you if you can. Someone you can trust to discuss things with.

Don't agree to anything without taking the opportunity to fully understand implications of what you're agreeing to

Cafcass phone call tomorrow morning. Bricking it! This whole side of the process has been so confusing and lacking in clarity

It's your best chance to be heard. They are there to hear and report on any and all issues that might affect his contact with the dc.

Good luck! It will be fine,they are there to interrogate you.

*NOT
(Why oh why is current technology so crap as to omit entire words?!!! Stupid idiots that make this stuff)

@spongedog

My experience too. I suffered a decade of abuse-all except physical. I remember one week in particular that he took all of my money out of my bag so I couldn't buy food. He used to frequently lock me out of the house in the bitter cold for hours on end if I didn't come home from visiting my parents exactly at the time he specified. Cafcass didn't care. He got 50:50.
He continues to bully 5 years on.

Being totally honest I wish he'd have hit me. Then then he wouldn't have been able to ruin my life in the way he has done.

Sadly cafcass facilitate abusers, they don't particularly give a damn about emotional or psychological damage done to children no matter what the children's wishes, or for physical for that matter. It's clearly run by a mysogynistic excuse of a.man.