Parental Alienation - DV - 'Golden thread'

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Dear Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service,

You explained that "The concept of a ‘golden thread’ at Cafcass is used to describe the structured assessment of FCA’s work, analysis and recommendations. It is a clear established connection between an FCA’s initial lines of enquiry, their findings and analysis and their recommendations."

You stated that the 'golden thread' for DV allegations is “As stated on our website, the Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway ‘works on the idea of a ‘golden thread’, it supports practitioners to establish a clear connection between their initial lines of enquiry and the final order.”

Please clarify the following:

1. Who formulated the Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway? Please list names if possible.

2. What experience did they have and what research did they do that enabled them to formulate DAPP?

3. Was the Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway formulated with the aid of any Parental Alienation experts to make sure that the FCAs are aware and understand the difference between a child who genuinely fears a parent as opposed to a child who has been psychologically manipulated into showing unwarranted fear, disrespect or hostility towards a parent?

4. Was Cafcass aware of Parental Alienation whilst formulating the Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway?

5. In cases when the court orders you to investigate both DV and PA allegations which part or questions of the Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway enables the practitioner to identify that the DV accusations of a parent and those of the children might not be based on truth but could possibly be the result of PA?

6. What is the 'golden thread' for Parental Alienation allegations? Please specify your answer in much the same way you have previously specified that for DV allegations: “As stated on our website, the Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway ‘works on the idea of a ‘golden thread’, it supports practitioners to establish a clear connection between their initial lines of enquiry and the final order.”

7. If you do not have a golden thread for PA please state that in your answer.

8. How do you make sure that a ‘golden thread’ that supports practitioners to establish a clear connection between their initial lines of enquiry and the final order does not ‘lock’ the practitioner into a linear thinking and allows them to investigate other possibilities to allegations?

9. I understand that the ‘golden thread’ is important during complaint proceedings against Cafcass as the ‘golden thread’ provides a ‘logical’ and bulletproof protection against any claims. However, this will discourage practitioners from deferring from this thread and makes children vulnerable to emotional abuse in PA cases. How do you make sure this does not happen?

Yours faithfully,

Eva nagy

Governance, Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service

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Dear Ms Nagy,

 

Thank you for your email.

 

Please accept this as formal acknowledgement of your Freedom of
Information request which was received by Cafcass on 27 October 2018.

 

Your reference number is CAF18-123.

 

We aim to respond to your promptly, and at the latest 20 working days from
receipt of your request. You will therefore receive a response on or
before 23 November 2018.

 

Kind regards,

 

Governance Team | Cafcass

* [1][CAFCASS request email] | ü [2]www.cafcass.gov.uk 

[3]Cafcass_Logo_2014_email

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Governance, Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service

2 Attachments

Dear Ms Nagy,

 

Thank you for your email. Please find attached our response to your
Freedom of Information request.

 

Kind regards,

 

Governance Team | Cafcass

* [1][CAFCASS request email] | ü [2]www.cafcass.gov.uk 

[3]Cafcass_Logo_2014_email

 

 

 

 

Cafcass email addresses have changed to end in @cafcass.gov.uk. Please
ensure you update your address book. For more information on this change
please see our  [4]website

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