Pandemic Prioritisation Protocol Returns To The Family Court
Cafcass is the organisation which works with the Family Court to assess the safety and welfare of children and subsequently advise the court on their best interests in private law family court proceedings. In 2021 it introduced a Prioritisation Protocol to manage the various challenges that arose during the pandemic and ensure the children in most urgent need were given priority.
The Cafcass Prioritisation Protocol has now been reactivated in London, Greater Manchester, Essex & Suffolk and Norwich.
The reasons for re-activating the Prioritisation Protocol centre around:
- The long-standing and increasing pressures on the local family justice system which are a result of a rising number of private family law applications – this being particularly acute in London, where there has been a 27% increase in new private law applications received by Cafcass between April and July 2023 (compared to the same period in 2022);
- The additional work caused by the ongoing delay; and
- The challenges for Cafcass and its partners in maintaining staffing capacity.
It continues to be vitally important for co-parents to assess whether they need court intervention, and to recognise that this may involve long delays for themselves and their children. The courts remain hugely over-burdened, and must prioritise the families who need protection.
Author Name: The Divorce Surgery
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