Evaluation of the ‘case plan’ model operating in private law applications at a north west family court

Scholar, HF; Myers, JS; Munro, E

Abstract

The First Hearing Dispute Resolution scheme is a form of in-court conciliation operating in a county court in the North-West of England. In-court conciliation takes place at court, and aims to help parents (or other family members who are parties to court proceedings) reach an agreement about arrangements for children, rather than taking the matter to a full court hearing and asking a judge to decide the outcome.

The scheme in this court is different from many others in that the discussions take place in the court room with Cafcass officers and judges involved, but without the direct involvement of legal representatives. If complete agreement is not reached during the discussions, the scheme allows for a flexible response to a family’s needs, and Cafcass can undertake specific pieces of work to assist families in solving their problems instead of moving straight to a report and case hearing. Where any further work involving Cafcass is required, Cafcass officers prepare a case plan which sets out what needs to be done and the timescales in which it should be completed, and this is presented to the Court.

Citation

Scholar, H., Myers, J., & Munro, E. (2008). Evaluation of the ‘case plan’ model operating in private law applications at a north west family court

• Report Type: Project Report
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: Dec 21, 2011