Cafcass Associates

Associate Family Court Advisers (self-employed social workers contracted by Cafcass) are an important branch of our working community. They are commissioned by our local teams across England to help manage work with children and young people and complement the work of our employed practitioners. Contracting Associate FCAs enables us to retain talented, passionate people who were previously employed by us as well as attract new skilled individuals to engage with us. 

We are currently hiring for Associate Family Court Advisers across multiple locations. Apply now by clicking this link.  

We currently contract over 130 Associate FCAs. With high-levels of demand for our work with children and young people, we foresee this number continuing to grow. Our dedicated Associates team provides contract management support to ensure an effective service to our local commissioning teams and directly to our Associate FCAs. 

Whether you already work independently and are interested in being commissioned by us, or this is something you wish to explore, you can find further information below. We hope this will help you determine if this is the right opportunity for you before completing our short application process. 

There is no single reason why people become an Associate FCA. 

Some are attracted by the feeling of independence it offers. For others the primary motivator is the flexibility and ability to manage their own workload, scaling this to meet their financial needs and to suit personal circumstances. 

We operate case thresholds to ensure our Associate FCAs carry a manageable caseload and to enable you to undertake other work in line with Inland Revenue expectations. We assess that the work undertaken by Associate FCAs is not covered by IR35 legislation, so you will be responsible for ensuring appropriate arrangements for paying tax and other contributions. 

Associates carry a mixed caseload of private and public law with thresholds for caseloads being a maximum of 21 and a minimum of 8. 

The opportunity to continue a variety of work appeals to many, with Associate FCAs often taking on work as Independent Social Workers (ISWs) or Independent Reporting Officers (IROs). Others are lecturers, trainers or are able to keep up business interests unrelated to social work. 

However, everyone says that they value the challenging and rewarding nature of their work with us in supporting some of the most vulnerable children in England. The role involves drawing on your skills and experience to understand what each individual child needs, wants and feels, and then advising the family courts on the best course of action for each child. 

As one of our Associate FCAs, you will not be seen any differently to our employed staff in court, where your integrity and professionalism is valued and respected. Similarly, while we know Associate FCAs are not our employees, this does not dilute our responsibility to provide practical and practice support when it comes to our contract management, case management and oversight. So, we offer support and guidance throughout your initial engagement to help you get set-up with us and then throughout your relationship with us. This happens at regular intervals and on an ad hoc basis as required. 

There are a few key criteria that prospective Associate FCAs must meet. You must: 

• be a qualified social worker; 
• have at least five years post qualifying experience; and 
• be certified by Social Work England to work in England.   

We also think for you to succeed and truly make a difference, you should be someone who: 

• is an expert in safeguarding, child engagement, inter-agency working, case analysis, planning and recording; 
• can work independently; 
• is committed to your continuous professional development; 
• has experience of working with highly vulnerable children and families; 
• is resilient and organised; 
• has strong, intuitive IT skills; and 
• is an effective verbal and written communicator. 

If you meet these requirements, then we look forward to receiving your application. As part of the process, there will be a few basic questions to answer and then we will ask you to provide us with your current CV showing how you fulfil these requirements. 

After we have reviewed your CV, if we agree that you could be a great addition, we will progress your interest. Our process includes the option of telephone interviews, online assessment and panel interviews. As we recruit nationally, panel interviews may not be local to you and may require travel, but you will be entitled to claim any travel expenses. 

If you would like to apply, click here and then search for ‘Family Court Adviser’ roles where you will see opportunities for Associate FCAs – National. 

We offer Associate FCAs a fair, competitive financial remuneration structure determined by whether you are working in private or public law. 

Private law 
We operate a fixed fee structure dependent on the work required. This can range from £150 for a safeguarding letter (formerly known as a schedule 2 letter) to £700 for a section 7 report. Also, if ordered to attend court, your time can be invoiced at £35 per hour. 

Public law 
Within public law, we estimate it may take up to 70 hours to complete a child’s case and you will be entitled to claim £35 per hour. 

Travel expenses/time 
Some travel costs may also be reclaimed, as can your travel time in certain circumstances. Usually, these allowances will be agreed before each case is allocated to you. 

We will provide you with as much advice and support as we can to get you ready to take on casework. There will be a few practical things to consider and undertake first. 

If not already set-up as a Sole Trader or Limited Company, then you may want to consult a Professional Accountant to help you determine which is best for you. You should also consider appropriate insurance. 

We will also provide information on a range of other things to consider, including: 

• equipment/software requirements; 
• data security/protection; and 
• personal security. 

While taking on casework with us, Associate FCAs must adhere to our procedures and policies which we will provide alongside a handbook that signposts a range of template forms and reports. You will also have access to our eLearning platform, in-house Library and quarterly briefings (which count towards your Continuing Professional Development requirements). 

Associate FCAs also provide a lot of support to one another. Therefore, if you think you will find it helpful, we can introduce you to an existing Associate FCA to act as a peer mentor. 

Once set-up and accredited, and before you are commissioned for your first case, you will meet with your designated contract manager to reaffirm key processes and mutual requirements. Your contract manager will meet with you again three months later for a review, and then annually thereafter.

We are mindful and respectful of your independence and that you also have other professional commitments away from your work with us. However, the local commissioning team has a responsibility to review quality, value and effectiveness and will support with practice queries. 

You can also always expect to have an annual contract review meeting with your contract manager, A number of things will be discussed at these meetings, including your: 

• wellbeing: 
• quality of work: 
• availability and type/area of work required; and 
• professional development. 

Your contract manager is also available to you as required on an ad hoc basis. Our Business Services Team will oversee the allocation of work to you and support you with any queries or questions you may have.