Young want voices heard in family courts

Private Law Consultation: "How It Looks To Me" was based on the views of 136 young people whose parents were going through divorce or separation proceedings.

According to the survey only 22 (18 per cent) of respondents felt confident that Cafcass workers had informed the court of their views. Almost half of the young people asked were less than satisfied that their wishes and feelings had been made known to the court. 

An additional 50 respondents said they would have liked the opportunity to tell the judge themselves what had happened. But many young people also took issue with confidentiality, complaining that they were not made aware that information would be shared with parents or the court, which led them to distrust the Cafcass worker.

The report states that 75 of the respondents saw a Cafcass worker before court proceedings and all were generally positive about the experience. When asked what was the most important thing Cafcass did for them, young people gave a variety of responses including: opening up a dialogue; liaising with parents; giving reassurance; talking things through; understanding and having their views listened to.

"It is a positive sign that many of the young people felt that they benefitted from Cafcass' involvement but there were also areas mentioned that we could improve on - such as confidentiality," said Cafcass chief executive Anthony Douglas. "The information that has been gained from this report will help identify ways we can improve support services for children going through this difficult time."

Other findings from the survey showed that most young people felt the outcomes of their court proceedings resulted in a more stable home life. But respondents also claimed that their financial situation had worsened as a result of proceedings.