Written question asked by Steve Brine (Conservative) on Thursday, 10 March 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 March 2011. It was answered by Tim Loughton (Conservative) on Monday, 28 March 2011 on behalf of the Department for Education.

CAFCASS

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps are taken by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service to assist children affected by joint custody arrangements which cover more than one local authority area.

Answer: There are no practical differences in the way that CAFCASS handles shared residence cases specifically in situations where parents live in different local authority areas. In all family law cases the focus of CAFCASS's work is the best interests of the child. This focus applies equally to shared residence arrangements as to any other type of arrangement. Where CAFCASS officers assess that a child is at risk they will refer the case to the relevant local authority.

Secondary information