Cafcass was formed on 1 April 2001 as part of the Government’s commitment to supporting families and children. It brought together the services previously provided by the Family Court Welfare Service, the Guardian ad Litem Services and the Children’s divisions of the Official Solicitor’s Office. Operating within the law set by Parliament in the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000, and under the rules and directions of the family courts, we are independent of the courts, social services, education and health authorities and all similar agencies. Cafcass is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is a non-departmental public body.
Cafcass stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. We represent the interests of children and young people in family court cases in England. We independently advise the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. We focus on their needs, wishes and feelings, making sure that children’s voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court’s thinking and decision making. Our duty is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children going through the family justice system. We support over 140,000 children and young people every year. As the largest employer of qualified social workers in England, we are deeply committed to making a positive difference to each child we support and are dedicated to improving the lives of children, families and carers.
Why Cafcass is supporting Boardroom Apprentice
I’ve been a Board chair/NED since 2006 and have had some of the most challenging roles and brilliant opportunities in that time, as have my other Board members, old and new. Supporting someone else to be able to have those chances as a Board member and to contribute their skills and experience back to a wide variety of organisations would be really rewarding for us and for them. The Board Apprentice programme offers experience to a more diverse range of candidates to allow them to develop their talents and hone them to be more successful ultimately in gaining a Bord role they want.
Location of Board and Committee Meetings
London, mostly in person.
Frequency and timing of board/committee meetings
Boards are held quarterly from 10:30-3 with half-yearly seminars in a key topic the evening before. We also expect our Board members to join a committee (Audit, Performance & Quality or People, which also meet quarterly but online.
Date of Board Meetings (January – December 2025)
January, April, July and October each year.
Committee of the Boards and meeting dates (January - December 2025)
Audit – March, June, September and December
Performance & Quality – same as Audit
People – May and
November
Security checks
We are an arms length body of the Ministry of Justice so need to go through their security clearance.
Payment of travel expenses
