Wider Society

Social engineering is no part of CAFCASS's role, but what is good for children and wider society will generally be the same.

Recommendations for contact should be checked as to whether they take sufficient account of the following:

The increasing employment of both parents as a result of their own wishes and the encouragement for them to work, and the benefits that may result from their working;

The fall in the time children spend with a parent and the desirability of remedying this;

The benefits to children and parents of easing the stress of parenting. especially when that is likely to be most acute or when one or both of the parents may need relief and/or support;

The established wish of children to have more involvement with both parents;

The benefits to children of having appropriate role models, including people who combine caring with employment;

The wish of many parents to have a better balance between caring responsibilities, paid work and other activities;

Increasing opposition to allocating caring and earning responsibilities to parents according to gender;

The desirability of spreading knowledge of, and involvement in, parenting and its responsibilities;

Financial issues: involved parents are more likely to share the costs of child rearing;

Housing issues: both parents need to have access to accommodation for their caring responsibilities;

Avoiding the costs of court proceedings.

The 'gatekeeping' of reports, to check that they contain no unacceptable assumptions or language, should continue and be strengthened.