In supervised contact, observation reports are written following each session. These are intended to be a summary of the session that has taken place as opposed to verbatim reports. The centre will do their best to make sure these are appropriately detailed and accurate. There is also a process for ensuring that these are quality assured by a person different to the author.
The reports can be provided to a number of different people, and this will vary based upon the specifics of your family and the centre, so it’s always worth checking with them. Ideally, the centre will let you know at the pre-visit what information will be recorded and how this will be shared.
Typically, it might be reasonable to expect the following people to have access to reports, where it is identified that these people need this information:
- Both parents
- Any Other Person with Parental Responsibility.
- Cafcass / FCA (if involved)
- Foster carers (if involved)
- Social Services (if involved)
- Solicitors (if involved)
- Courts (if involved)
If the courts have ordered contact with reports it may be the case that these reports then become the property of the court. In this scenario the relevant court order would usually outline who will have access to the reports. When it is deemed that reports are the property of the court, they must not be shared with parties other than those named, without the consent of the court.
In some cases, the child might also have access to contact reports, they would often be supported to access these by a professional, like a social worker.
