Cafcass Family Services: Enabling Family Time

Enabling Family Time

Spending quality time together is essential for children and families, particularly during periods of change, especially when family court support is required. Enabling Family Time is a short, child-focused service provided by Cafcass services on behalf of the Ministry of Justice. Launched on 5 May, this initiative aims to deliver a clearer, more focused approach that ensures children can enjoy safe and meaningful interactions with parents or other significant adults at the appropriate stage in family court proceedings.

The service is specifically designed to assist children in spending meaningful time with a non-residential parent or another important adult during private law family court proceedings.

Our goal is to create a safe, calm, and neutral environment where children can connect or reconnect and rebuild relationships with their parent or another significant adult in a nurturing and positive manner. This service is available only when a Family Court Adviser (FCA) from Cafcass assesses that Enabling Family Time is in the child's best interests and will benefit the family.

This guide outlines what the service entails, what you can expect, and how we can collaborate to ensure a positive experience for your child.

The timeline for Enabling Family Time with SWFS

Upon receiving a referral from the FCA, we will reach out to you, typically via email, to schedule a brief discussion with each parent through phone or video call. During this service planning conversation, we will cover necessary preparations, dates and times, activities, and locations, ensuring we understand the specific needs of the adults and child to provide optimal family support. We will address any questions, and if you forget anything, feel free to email us for clarification. We communicate through email or pre-arranged phone or video calls, confirming the session details via email after the planning stage is complete.

There are typically three sessions lasting 90 minutes each over three weeks.

A preparation week precedes the three weeks of family time sessions. After the final session, we will briefly discuss next steps, ongoing sessions, and whether we can continue to support the family on a self-funded basis if necessary. The entire service lasts four weeks from the receipt of the referral from your FCA to conclusion. If a different timeline has been agreed upon, the FCA will inform us, and we will discuss it with you during our initial preparation session.

Sessions are conducted in person, unless the FCA specifically requests virtual sessions.

Parents are expected to travel up to one hour from home each way, although we are located in all major towns and cities across the service area, which usually reduces travel time. Our standard terms regarding lateness, cancellation, behavior, and expectations apply, and parents will need to acknowledge these during the brief registration process.

The role of our team during sessions includes:

- Listening to the child’s wishes and feelings

- Ensuring they feel safe

- Observing interactions and providing support during the session if needed

- Recording factual, evidence-based notes

Next steps after the service

Following each family time session, notes will be sent to the FCA. They may share those notes with you, but you will need to request them rather than contacting us directly.

After the completion of the sessions, the FCA will discuss the available options with you, whether that involves continuing family time sessions on a self-funding basis or exploring other alternatives.

For full details on the Cafcass services, please visit the Cafcass website.