Who is the Cafcass Officer and what is his/her role?
If an application is made to the court, the court may order that the Cafcass service prepare a report on the issues in the application and that report will generally contain a recommended way forward. That report will be prepared after having met with the parents and the child(ren) and with regard to the various issues set out at question 1 above. The Cafcass Officer is effectively the eyes and ears of the court and his/her recommendation is very important as the court is bound to follow it in the absence of cogent reasons not to do so.
