Family Court Adviser

Family Court Advisers (FCAs) are employed by CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) — the national organisation that safeguards and promotes the welfare of children involved in family court proceedings in England. You are the independent professional voice of the child in court. You work across both private law proceedings (disputes between parents about child arrangements following separation or divorce — who children live with and how much time they spend with each parent) and public law proceedings (cases in which a local authority is applying for a care or supervision order).

In private law cases, you conduct safeguarding checks (consulting police, children's social care, and GP records), meet with both parents, and — crucially — meet with the child to understand their wishes and feelings. Where there are safeguarding concerns, you write a Section 7 report (welfare report) for the court, making recommendations about child arrangements in the context of domestic abuse, parental mental health, substance misuse, alienation, or other welfare risks. In public law cases, you act as the Children's Guardian — the independent advocate for the child throughout care proceedings — meeting regularly with the child, reviewing local authority assessments and care plans, instructing the child's solicitor, and writing a final analysis and recommendations report for the judge.

FCAs attend court hearings, give oral evidence under cross-examination, and are expected to provide robust, evidence-based professional judgements in complex and contested legal proceedings. CAFCASS FCAs are qualified social workers registered with Social Work England, with substantial post-qualifying experience in children and families social work.

CAFCASS is a statutory national agency — it exists because family court proceedings involving children are governed by statute (Children Act 1989), and every child in contested proceedings is entitled to an independent welfare advocate. Family court caseloads have grown significantly over the past decade — private law applications are at record levels driven by relationship breakdown and post-separation conflict, and public law cases have grown with the increasing number of looked-after children. CAFCASS has consistently reported vacancy rates and recruitment challenges, creating genuine career opportunity for qualified social workers.

Social Work England registration protects the professional title and accountability framework. The specialist legal knowledge, court advocacy skills, and capacity to produce rigorous analytical reports under judicial scrutiny make FCA a genuinely expert and well-regarded social work specialism. The role offers experienced social workers a structured, office-based practice model — with regular court engagement and professional independence — that many find more sustainable than frontline local authority work.

Morning: review case files before court — a private law hearing in which you are presenting a Section 7 report recommending no unsupported contact between a father and his two children due to domestic abuse findings; attend court, present evidence in chief and respond to cross-examination from both parents' barristers. Afternoon: home visit to meet a 9-year-old in the care of her maternal grandmother pending a care order application — explore her wishes and feelings about the proposed care plan and document her views for the forthcoming hearing. Review the local authority's assessment of the grandmother as a connected person carer. Draft correspondence to the child's solicitor. Caseload review with practice supervisor.