The children and family court support service was rated “bad” by 95% of reviewers on the consumer site.
Cafcass, which has struggled to shed its reputation as a poor support service for parents and children going through the UK’s family courts, has received a barrage of bad reviews on the consumer review website, Trustpilot.
The reviews began in 2018 and stretch across 18 pages, written by both men and women who have used Cafcass while going through the family courts. The service’s troubled operation has led families across England and wales to nickname the body, Crapcass.
The latest review, left on the site just hours ago, is entitled, “Organisation with a god complex”, and goes on to highlight several concerns with the support service, including limited interview times with children, non-evidence based allegations against parents and concerning interview techniques.
Another reviewer said the service was “extremely dangerous and damaging,” referring to a phenomenon in which some parents who allege abuse find they are accused of parental alienation by Cafcass social workers without any evidence and then have their children removed from their care.
Despite Cafcass receiving an Outstanding rating by Ofsted in 2018, ongoing concerns about the service were raised in Parliament that same year by Jess Phillips MP, who called for a government review of Cafcass after she received 199 pages of testimonials from parents who had been subjected to poor social work assessments.
The call was made during a debate in July 2018, in which she said,
“On the issue of CAFCASS workers receiving appropriate training, I say to the Minister that it is not working. There needs to be a Government review of CAFCASS and the way its workers are interacting with victims, as well as of settings where families go for visits.”
The Trustpilot reviews outline similar experiences from families in both public and private family law cases, with recurring themes of incompetence, falsification of records, lying in court and a disregard for the voice of the child mentioned in several of the comments.
One mother said, “This organisation is a disgrace to our nation. They don’t care about the child’s wishes and they most definitely are NOT the voice of the child. They seem to be the only ones in the social care sector who are Not held accountable for their actions.”
While a father commented, “Dreadful, makes out everyone is up to no good when the reality it’s them who are doing wrong and going unpunished clearly thinking they’re a superior race.”
Another father suggested that Trustpilot had deleted several other negative reviews, raising questions as to the real number of complaints submitted to the site, which may have been removed for falling foul of the site’s posting policies:
“Cafcass were told to leave a meeting with me, my barrister and my domestic abuse worker because she was butting in with completely irrelevant stuff and also told to be quiet by the judge. Even though I gained full living with order for my 2 children, cafcass did everything they could to ruin it. Even told my ex to get a drugs test on me done (my ex is an addict) came back completely clear. Cafcass are crap. If this review is deleted like a lot of other negative cafcass reviews then shame on you trustpilot.”
Many of the headlines on the review site for Cafcass included the phrase, “Not fit for purpose” and adjectives like corrupt, evil and liars.
One reviewer also said she had experienced racism from Cafcass officers, commenting, “This bunch of largely white, middle aged women routinely take the side of abusive men, if challenged, or if found out in a lie or a manipulation they will circle their wagons and protect their own. The last people on their list are the children they are supposed to protect, and routinely fail, with tragic consequences.”
However some parents felt the service had helped.
One mother, who gave the child welfare body an “excellent” rating, said, “Thankfully, after the years of mental abuse, CAFCASS finally saw the real feelings of my children. Many on here have left a negative review because they have been ‘bitten on the backside.’”
A father who also left a five star review on the site explained, “I had to go for a shared arrangements order through the courts as my ex would not allow me to see my son. Cafcass was excellent and treated me with respect and fair and i now see my son all the time.”
Many thanks to Millicent Fawcett on Twitter for alerting us to this development.
Researching Reform 
In retrospect my Cafcass worker, during the break, followed my ex’s solicitor to his car and discretely took an envelope, I was in close proximity! I can tell you sincerely it wasn’t documents, it was in essence cash! I wouldn’t waste my time writing If it wasnt factual. What a shocking state this country is in.
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A cafcas worker is also A majistrate that that was also a director of his fostering company , that sums the corrupted UK unlimited from many of the corrupted.
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Completely unsurprising. Most families we spoke to, us included, stated that Cafcass never met with the parents/carers outside of the court room. Most based their reports on what social services stated. Our own case, the guardian only met with us face to face for a maximum of a total of three hours over a 5 year period. This was all based in a courtroom environment. Cafcass meetings are mostly with social care and not those people based in the child’s life. Cafcass has long since lost its impartiality and the courts high appraisal of the guardians are biased and conflicted. One Derby judge was known to have regular tea and meetings within the walls of the Derby Cafcass offices. If this does not set a bad precedence, what does? Families/carers are not as ignorant of what happens and are powerless to do anything about it. One specific Cafass guardian was suffering from early onset dementia whilst still in their employ and was still making crucial recommendations to the courts on families. She has since been placed on retirement. There is little recourse for families to fight such an in-bedded rotten system as appeal courts regards Cafcass with such high esteem.
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Many are on linkedin site, you should check their names out and see who connevts with who, its organized crimes i fear
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The other 5% didn’t respond to the survey.
Having had experience of two Guardians I observed they say one thing & do the opposite, to your children’s & your detriment.
The first one Involved in care proceedings only visited once at a venue to observe a visit with my grandchildren & I had one phone call prior to court when she told me my grandson was going to be put up for adoption “because of his age!” Instead of any independent critical thinking she simply echoed the social workers stance. Rather disconcerting as none had met us expect for one interview by a social worker from the adoption team.
The other Guardian involved in the foster carers becoming Special Gardians agreed that the contact between our grandchildren which had deliberately been diminished to be non existent because the foster carers did not want contact & had unduly influenced the children not to want contact. Despite this deliberate alienation the Special Guardian Order was agreed & went ahead. The court recommendations regarding contact were to be overseered by the Guardian but that never happened.
Frankly they ignored research about contact with family members especially grandparents being beneficial for the children because it wasn’t beneficial to the foster carers!
They are not fit for purpose.
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I made an official complaint through the Ombundsman which took 18 months – useless! Told by all solicitors you cant go up against them. Judges always go with them.
Cafcass officer visited ex and new wife in his home where she fell for the baked bread and coffee and then visited me at place of work. Scared my children who were interviewed in school. She asked me what would I do if my relationship came to an end in Australia? She came to conclusion, ex was right I was a slag for settling down and wishing to have a new life in Australia with my new husband. Lost leave to remove application and cafcass where due to provide support after I had to tell the children we have to sit in the UK until both of them 18 and be parted from their step-dad. They both had panic attack in my work place and refused to go to contact.
Numerous court cases afterwards off the back of this court case as my eldest refused to see ex because of what he had done to her and me. Cafcass guardian put in place by court who got me in the corner of the room outside the court room before proceedings and asked why I wanted to make things better with ex. She again already had only ex’s thoughts and wishes in mind and even wanted him to be able to have my address and pick up from my home. I have police paperwork signed to say I cannot be on electoral register due to the threat ex poses to me. She said I had alienated my daughter against ex. Judge threatened to remove a 15 year old from my care. Youngest daughter has gone to contact throughout. My barrister met with girls court issued independent solicitor day before and he said he just wished ex would leave us alone and move on with his own life. Decided daughter would suffer if she went back to contact- told it was empty threats by judge and cafcass by barrister afterwards. I had to be monitored by Cafcass for 6 months that I was encouraging my daughter to go back to contact. One telephone call and then nothing. I filmed myself in the car each week asking her to say hi to dad with her saying no thanks I’d rather die than see him. A year on, I have an amazing 16 year old who is now well and looking forward to living a life in Oz when she is 18. What benefit has it been for my children to live here away from their step-dad for 3 years with another 3 years to go for my youngest? An evil ex, who watches our every move and who has been reported to the police for pushing his daughter around and probably more she is too scared to disclose. Perhaps another marriage failure as I try and maintain a relationship with my husband 9000 miles away. Absolutely appalling system based on a few minutes interview back in 2017!
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I hope your life in oz is what you been seaching for away from the corrupted child stealing uk. X
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I know it is not popular to like Cafcass, however whilst our case was with Cafcass they were very good and could see through the ex’s grooming strategies, abuse and lies etc. HOWEVER once it went to the LA SS it was an unmitigated disaster which led to us having 6 complaints upheld against them.
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It seems nearly everyone ive tried to help with social services cases, Cafcass has been in the background, untill the case goes to court and the solicitors that work for local authourity Councils also work for Cafcass, its like an army of goverment authorities many against the single parent in this big wide court room. Sad what goes on and wrong. Most families stand no chance of a fair hearing.
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That is 100% TRUE. The Official Solicitor also is as incompetent, inhumane and disgusting towards innocent Families and their loved ones. They are hell-bent on destroying Families.
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Many that work only for local authority councils are paid to destroy good loving families, if they dont obey orders of the council they are out of a job.
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A Cafcass officer got caught lieing to the judge about parental alienation not involved and they had done what they need to do to see if there was parental alienation. When they hadn’t when applied for a part 25 parental alienation expert for assessment of children and courts agreed for it to be done because they caurt the officer/agent out lieing and contradicting their self.
They have lied all the though case etc and on the exs(mother) side of trying to erase me out of my kids life’s.
They have a shock coming once my case over as I stand under oath to the magna carta A.61 and will be getting served.
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They should 100% bad rated. I had my officer completely lie about me in court, and then, there was no one to report her to.
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Cafcass are also in with Coram partnership, agreed 2008. look Coram up , adoption and fostering very large company. Many council solicitiors, social workers , nearly all county council childrens directors, are in there pockets. Who controls the family courts, power , not justice.
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The judge in my case is evil that even domestic abuse charities in the area asked me “by any chance did you have judge ……” That is not a good sign. I am satisfied she is a judge well past her sell-by date. The abuse was dismissed, ignored, and mostly disbelieved. It threw me over the edge. I was made to follow a new narrative that he was not abusive and this did have an effect on my mental health. I was not in a good place. The Cafcass officer decided to push me further over the edge with a psychological assessment. I went to it and for the first time, a document put me in a good light. (The stupid Crapcass b*tch unknowingly did me a favour). I was believed which was the main thing and I burst into tears. Obviously the judge had made their judgement and there is no way off this hell of a rollercoaster ride you are on once entering FC. My ex will be in my life forever and I know life will be hell. I am just existing. Not living. I am trying to get through each day a day at a time. There is so much hell post-separation. I wish I had known how ruthless Family courts are, I really don’t think I would have left. I am trying really hard to cope only for my children’s sake and I would love to see them grow. Plus my parents, their grandparents, have made it very clear that if I kill myself they will never forgive me and neither would the kids. So here I am. 03/07/2020 dreading my weekly dose of sh*t from my ex who controls me in my own home through the video calls. I am making myself feel sick at the thought of him doing anything to the kids unsupervised. I don’t want to be in the position to tell people ” I flipping well told you so. I told you he would do this.” I want them safe and I just don’t trust him or his family members. I can’t give too much away but they really have done a right number on me when I was In the relationship. To have the courts cover it up too was like I had entered some sort of twilight zone. Where is the justice? There is nothing I can do. He will have them unsupervised and I feel so ill and so incredibly guilty that I can’t stop this to prevent any harm to the kids. I feel so powerless and wish I stayed only so they are never alone with him. My ex wasn’t always like this. He is definitely a charmer. It all happened past the 5-month pregnancy mark and I made so many excuses for him. I was in shock and I stayed. I think it was then he realised I would put up with anything and it got worse but I changed my behaviour accordingly hoping that things would go back to how they were. I just stayed and stayed. I had packed my bags a few times but somehow I always would find myself back in his arms with him hugging me telling me “I am sorry but if you had just…… I wouldn’t have done it”. I felt I needed to keep the family together. That was a big thing for me. So I did a lot of damage control. Keep him happy keep him sweet do anything to keep the family image I pictured in my head and that I was damn right promised by him at the beginning.
I have gone to the therapy that was recommended by the psychologist and the therapist had to write a report for the court. How intrusive is it that you are the one at the therapist due to the behaviour of someone else that should be the one in therapy getting rewired for being an abusive pr*ck. It shocks me how there is some evil people in this world out to hurt people. I guess I am too naive for this world. All your medical notes shared with your abuser for him to share with every Tom, Dick and Harry. He has my medical records since birth and my psychological assessment. I am grateful I came out with no disorders which I hear can happen and I was scared sh*tless I was going to be diagnosed with one. What the hell would I do then when I know it to be true?!! I have no idea. I am very very sorry for anyone in that position. It’s further gaslighting by those in powerful positions which hurts so much. Just another stab in the back. My therapist filled out what was required of them and said how I was doing and said that their opinion was that I was in an abusive and controlling relationship. Well, the Crapcass guardian b*tch said that it was out of their remit to say that despite this therapist being flipping fantastic, so professional and helping me so so much. I don’t know where I would be without them. Still lost to the world I think. For it to be ignored again hurts so much. Sorry for my language about the Crapcass officer but if I didn’t say she was an evil b*tch I would be lying.
DON’T let anyone try and force a new narrative down your throat. It happened. You are not going mad but you have every right to be damn flipping mad, show that anger. If anyone has any advice on how to be strong it would be much much appreciated. Having one of those really really low days.
Stay safe everybody.
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Hi, thank you for your comment, and I’m so sorry to hear about your experience. There are several Facebook groups in which families offer each other support – that may be a good place to start?
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What court was that ?
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That is exactly what Family Court is like in a nutshell. They do the opposite, destroy your family and then says “This is Best Interests”. What a whole load of bull….
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Cafcass horrifically manipulative and commercially driven have caused my children so much undue risk of harm from their abusive absent parent who wanted our son aborted and our daughter hurt and hindered to project I was an unfit mother using any strategy of abuse and penalty including cafcass to continue a pattern of deep harm and insipid coercion and control. They refused to hear the children’s independent voices at contact centres and interrogated the children to only try to get out of them what would support the cafcass case of being in support of applicant father wanting to take children away from mother in destructive pursuits to harm, hinder and control oiling cafcass to trade off rather than help prevent trauma for our children. It has destroyed the children’s confidence in services they thought would listen and help them through trauma they only reignited to antagonise and jeopardise to trade off. Children about to be forced to go and live with abusive father after judge deemed protective mother and professional reports contrary to cafcass findings so exonerated abuse of 10 years from vexatious father to find mother guilty of latest craze “parental alienation” ignoring children’s disclosures of prolonged physical and mental abuse denied children’s rights to independent representation that might weaken cafcass case and indifferent throughout to distress of children being intervened on in short spurts and pressures from these people who are clearly unfit for purpose. Neither child was listened to and instead cafcass and courts prejudiced to win a test case and cover their inappropriate behaviour and tracks. Abusers get to abuse free handed by cafcass power and control freaks. I am dumbfounded by the horrific “client” led applicant/ driver parent services that fuel the trauma traders using children as tools and coaxing using their broken rules. Children lives ruined, disempowered and abused not only by applicant abuse of parents but more harmfully the cafcass workers and social services/ LA that should be protecting them. This is a broken system happy to ruin lives to meet targets but rarely prepared to take an investigative approach and expose misfeasance or genuine abuse as they are not brave, humane caring professionals they are shallow resentful bitter individuals and organisations that thrive off closed ranks to win cases and make money out of vulnerable children and families rather than resource protecting them impartially. I’d rate them 200% defunct and destructive. Our children are petrified rather than empowered because of them and their dishonest and duplicitous attacks. Please someone with more intellect and human rights consideration in today’s society help children and families being harmed and destroyed by this group of dispassionate and Desensitised career crawlers with a lust for power and control in keeping with abusers rather than healing
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Thank you for your comment and I’m so sorry to hear about your experience. The Researching Reform project is dedicated to trying to improve the system, and we will continue to campaign until we do.
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Natasha, just yesterday the President Mc Farlane J heaped high praises to all Judges in Family Court and says how much of a great job they have done and is doing while, they have abused their powers and destroyed many innocent families. Mc. Farlane ‘s statement is totally UNTRUE, MISLEADING and a slap on the face.
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I’m logically assuming that MOJ report presented at parliament in June 2020 that gives an overview of too many children and families being harmed rather than supported by family court and cafcass and longer term consequences of lives destroyed by banality of cafcass and commercial aims rather than humane aims was just a necessary audit that is being overwhelmed by judges patting each other on back for technical entrapment tactics that keep them earning elite status and sums irrespective of the fact they are trading off vulnerable children to churn hardships rather than resolve for the children- I come back to it as a clear “trauma trade” much like ambulance chasing insurance company it’s not in the best interests of our children it’s in best interests of the elite
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I know of so many families who has been ripped apart by LIES, abuse of powers and collusion but, they have No Voice while, their loved ones suffer, give up and deteriorates but, they talk of Human Rights in the UK. There is no such thing like Human Rights here as Judges and Advocate has covert ways to bypass and cover it up.
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It seems you have suffered the same fate, Snap!! Even some housing associations are now carring out injustice against innocent ederley tennants. Will the sole aim to get them evicted on balatant false allegations against them. How can they carry out these evil acts on innocent ederley people. Sad uk people in authority over peoples lives. “Evil will not prevail” much longer with the will of God.
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Cafcass useless, never get back when say and now miss court deadline because of them
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CAFCASS is just as bad as the Official Solicitor and Social Services. they work AGAINST INNOCENT FAMILIES AND THEIR LOVED ONE’S WHILE, EVIL JUDGE FOLLOWS in the destruction of Family Life but, they have the nerve to mention “Human Rights”.
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I investigated a certain cafcass worker adviser to judges in the family court. Also i found he was an acting magistrate in the same court also i fouhd on him he was involved as a director in his own fostering company that was attached to 6 childrens homes the director of these childrens homes was a good friend in bussiness. Charges for children held in these homes in one case it was £5, 500 pound aweek. That sums up the truth of what i found out. Beyound all laws these people. Just like the hell we are going through at the moment, threats of eviction now evidence colluded false statements of evil hate made against us.
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Caffcass are currently ruining my sons life , my life and my families life , i have thrown evidence at them, character references,?proof my ex is a liar an out to ruin my life and it’s all brushed aside, I don’t know how these people sleep at night there methods are disgusting with no thought for my child , he gets the best nutrition , the best clothes on his back etc most of all the love he receives is limitless yet 1 word from a scorn woman who got caught having an affair and they use it to what seems to make there job easy, my ex will say there great these are the kinds of bitter people that rub there hands together when they get there way using the child as a weapon, gullible or maybe just lazy , they are the voice of the bitter scorn woman in my case , not the child’s one bit, the worst people I’ve ever come across for not looking into facts and evidence before ruining a child’s life is really quite concerning.
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Yes unless you have been in the system. Who would believe that people like caf cass can get there own PHYCOLOGIST who gives you a ridiculous diagnose of mentel health borderline personality. Has anyone read hessell willemson review site. It’s 100 percent true. How caf cass sleep. The report were full of lies. Because it was recorded. But made no difference. Judge not interested. Yes read the history of the man who formed caf cass. A pedophile
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The OS is the worst. They have lied to the Court for many years and once it backfires, they will not apologize or change course coz, the Judge is the same. They have continued to LIE regardless while the injustice remains under the carpet. Can’t get a genuine Solicitor and when I do, they collude and now wants thousands of pounds off me but, I qualify for Legal Aid.
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I dealt with caff cass 3 years ago for nearly 10 years. I tried to keep my daughter safe from her abusive father (proven) caffcass then gave him unsupervised access. He went on to abuse my daughter yet apparently you can not sue caffcass ? Why?
My very good friend has also had her son taken out of her care, just 4 weeks ago and given to her abusive ex partner (full time) she has not been aloud any contact in this time and is worried sick. Is there anyone out there who knows how to get this organisation squashed? It shouldn’t exist they are ruining children’s lives for god sake!!!!
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Thank you for your comment and I’m so sorry this has happened to your family, and your friend’s family. You can contact solicitors to find out if there are any legal grounds in your case/s for you to sue. You can also connect with Direct Access barristers (this just means that you can call them direct without having to go through a solicitor) and they should usually give you one hour’s free consultation (the first time you schedule a meeting or call with them). If you need legal aid, you can look for barristers who are working through the legal aid scheme. This is one example of a law firm working in family law which is happy to accept direct calls: https://www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk/areas-of-law/family-law/ind
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Same for the Official Solicitor, they use an IRON FIST to annihilate Families and their loved ones. They need serious scrutiny at once
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They are even worse in 2022
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Cafcass London are pure evil. All disgusting manhaters, even the men!
Dishonest, deceitful, ignorant and hateful. They wrecked mine and my childrens’ lives. They stole us from each other. They actively enabled parental alienation. They colluded with corrupt social services. They take bribes. They put their own words in the mouths of children.
And it isn’t bad apples, it is all of them, without exception. I went through it for over a decade and almost forty hearings. The UK family court system is utterly and completely corrupt. They are in no way, shape or form “child-centred”. They are simply legitimised abusers.
My child was stolen by a corrupt judge and his Cafcass enablers. I have seen my child for two weeks in over six years because of cafcass corruption. Contact orders are in place but the corrupt court refuse to enforce. Cafcass exist merely to run cover for nepotistic judges. It is class war, it is war on fathers.
Cafcass wreck lives without a second thought and drive people to suicide. There are not words enough to express how disgusting they are. They hve been universally condemned for decades yet they continue. The whole process is a money go round for upper class legal professionals and their thick social worker forelock tuggers.
I will never forgive them for what they did to my children and I. Any fathers reading this, DO NOT ENGAGE. If your ex regards your kids as her possession Cafcass will only encourage her and it will ruin you, then ruin your children, then kill you. Walk away while you can.
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So true. I have experienced the same where all advocates collude against me {innocent father}and tell LIES while, the judge accepts it and enforces the alienation {10 years of No Contact}. I note that you made a mistake where you should have said I have NOT seen my children for six years. You left out NOT. Have faith, your kids will grow up one day and seek you. Let her keep bad-mouthing you to them, that’ll turn back on her mate. Something has to be done about the disgraceful Family Court System but, we cannot get the proper exposure/platform and audience to fall on the right ears/eyes.
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Cafcass officer [edited] from Merseyside has misrepresented the facts, partnered up with the abuser, and twisted the children’s views and wishes.
The Family Court in Manchester and cafcass are facilitating abuse and putting children’s lives in danger.
It is not in the best interest of the children the recommendations are biased and the cafcass officers are corrupt and take the abuser’s side.
This is a failed system, Judges have to keep up the elite status by ,,resolving the cases” when in fact they are trading off the vulnerability of millions of children for their status. Orders are made to meet the target for commercial aims.
They are in no way, shape, or form “child-centered”. These are simply legitimized abusers.
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