Cafcass failed to amend incorrect safeguarding information

What happened

Cafcass wrote a safeguarding report, but wrongly said that information from the police related to Mr G, when it actually related to a third party. This information incorrectly suggested that Mr G suffered from a particular mental health condition, which he did not.

Mr G repeatedly told Cafcass about its mistake, but it failed to correct this. Cafcass also overlooked correspondence from the police, who also tried to alert Cafcass to the issue.

Mr G spent a long time resolving matters with the police and when he was finally able to complain to Cafcass, it refused to consider his complaint because of the time that had passed.

What we found

Cafcass misinterpreted information from the police, causing it to include incorrect information in its safeguarding report. It then missed several opportunities to put things right. Cafcass's decision not to look at Mr G's complaint was unreasonable when he had provided clear evidence of its mistake. This situation would have been very frustrating for Mr G.

Putting it right

Cafcass apologised to Mr G and paid him £250. It also amended its records and notified the court of its error.