Court Welfare Officer ("CWO") Reports to Court re Play Therapy

Summary

The requester sought statistics on Court Welfare Officer recommendations for play therapy and sibling engagement for 2019 and 2020. The Department of Home Affairs responded that records are only retained for six months, providing limited data for that specific period instead of the requested years.

Key Facts

• The Department of Home Affairs only retains records for six months, preventing a full response for 2019 and 2020.
• In the last six months, there was one referral for play therapy which had not yet been agreed upon.
• One referral was made to a private sector therapist, specifically Beacon Therapeutic Services.
• No referrals were made to CAMHS in the last six months.
• No Court Orders requiring independent play therapist reports were issued in the last six months.

Data Disclosed

• 2019
• 2020
• six months
• 1 referral for counselling
• 1 referral for play therapy
• 1 referral to Beacon Therapeutic Services
• 0 referrals to CAMHS
• 0 Court Orders
• 0 occasions CWO sent reports in advance
• 0 occasions CWO declined to meet siblings
• 1693177
• 2021-03-04
• 2021-03-17
• 2021-06-21

Original Request

For each of calendar years 2019 and 2020 please state: 1. The number of occasions on which a CWO recommended play therapy in a CWO Report requested from the Department/CWO by the Family Court in connection with its consideration of a child Contact/Residence matter. 2. In relation to each of the two responses to (1) above, in how many cases the recommended organisation or natural person was a) CAMHS and b) a private sector therapist. For this purpose all referrals to CAMHS are to be counted as referrals to a single play therapist even if the play therapy services were provided via CAMHS by more than one person or organisation. 3. In relation to each response to (2) (b) above, how many recommendations were made to each individual private sector therapist (a sole trader business and the individual who comprises that business being counted as a single therapist for this purpose). Please refer to each therapist using the same name as in the relevant CWO Report (or, if not possible without breaching confidentiality agreements or legislation, then please anonymise the response by referring to each one as 'Play Therapist A', 'Play Therapist B', and so on so that the incidence of referrals to each one is clear. 4. In relation to each response to 2(b) above, on how many occasions Court Orders (including Consent Orders) were issued by the Family Court requiring the production of a report to Court by a play therapist where either the play therapist or the play therapist's report were referred to in the relevant Order as "independent". 5. In relation to the response to (4) above, on how many occasions the Department/CWO sent the related CWO Report(s) to the play therapist in advance of delivery of the therapist's own report (in final or draft form) to the CWO or Court. 6. In relation to CWO Reports prepared for the Family Court in child Contact/Residence matters, in how many cases in each of 2019 and 2020 the relevant CWO declined to meet or otherwise engage with older siblings (including step- or half-siblings) of the subject child being investigated when offered the opportunity to do so for background facts and information by a parent of the subject child.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Chief Executive's Office DHA Headquarters Tromode, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM2 5AP

Telephone: (01624) 694313 Fax: (01624) 621298 Web address: www.gov.im/dha Email: GeneralEnquiries.DHA@dha.gov.im

Our ref: 1693177 17 March 2021

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 4 March 2021 and which states:

"For each of calendar years 2019 and 2020 please state: 1. The number of occasions on which a CWO recommended play therapy in a CWO Report requested from the Department/CWO by the Family Court in connection with its consideration of a child Contact/Residence matter. 2. In relation to each of the two responses to (1) above, in how many cases the recommended organisation or natural person was a) CAMHS and b) a private sector therapist. For this purpose all referrals to CAMHS are to be counted as referrals to a single play therapist even if the play therapy services were provided via CAMHS by more than one person or organisation. 3. In relation to each response to (2) (b) above, how many recommendations were made to each individual private sector therapist (a sole trader business and the individual who comprises that business being counted as a single therapist for this purpose). Please refer to each therapist using the same name as in the relevant CWO Report (or, if not possible without breaching confidentiality agreements or legislation, then please anonymise the response by referring to each one as 'Play Therapist A', 'Play Therapist B', and so on so that the incidence of referrals to each one is clear. 4. In relation to each response to 2(b) above, on how many occasions Court Orders (including Consent Orders) were issued by the Family Court requiring the production of a report to Court by a play therapist where either the play therapist or the play therapist's report were referred to in the relevant Order as "independent". 5. In relation to the response to (4) above, on how many occasions the Department/CWO sent the related CWO Report(s) to the play therapist in advance of delivery of the therapist's own report (in final or draft form) to the CWO or Court. 6. In relation to CWO Reports prepared for the Family Court in child Contact/Residence matters, in how many cases in each of 2019 and 2020 the relevant CWO declined to meet or otherwise engage with older siblings (including step- or half-siblings) of the subject child being investigated when offered the opportunity to do so for background facts and information by a parent of the subject child."

I have detailed below the information that is being released to you. Please not that we only keep such record for six months:

1) One referral for counselling due to age and 1 for play therapy (not yet agreed); 2) One referral to private Beacon Therapeutic Services and none to CAHMS; 3) As per point 1) two separate recommendations; one not yet agreed one to Beacon Therapeutic Services; 4) None in last six months; 5) None in last six months; and 6) None in last six months.

Please quote the reference number 1693177 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

Chief Executive's Office DHA Headquarters Tromode, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM2 5AP

Telephone: (01624) 694313 Fax: (01624) 621298 Web address: www.gov.im/dha Email: GeneralEnquiries.DHA@dha.gov.im

Our ref: 1693177 22 September 2021

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 4 March 2021 and which states:

"For each of calendar years 2019 and 2020 please state: 1. The number of occasions on which a CWO recommended play therapy in a CWO Report requested from the Department/CWO by the Family Court in connection with its consideration of a child Contact/Residence matter. 2. In relation to each of the two responses to (1) above, in how many cases the recommended organisation or natural person was a) CAMHS and b) a private sector therapist. For this purpose all referrals to CAMHS are to be counted as referrals to a single play therapist even if the play therapy services were provided via CAMHS by more than one person or organisation. 3. In relation to each response to (2) (b) above, how many recommendations were made to each individual private sector therapist (a sole trader business and the individual who comprises that business being counted as a single therapist for this purpose). Please refer to each therapist using the same name as in the relevant CWO Report (or, if not possible without breaching confidentiality agreements or legislation, then please anonymise the response by referring to each one as 'Play Therapist A', 'Play Therapist B', and so on so that the incidence of referrals to each one is clear. 4. In relation to each response to 2(b) above, on how many occasions Court Orders (including Consent Orders) were issued by the Family Court requiring the production of a report to Court by a play therapist where either the play therapist or the play therapist's report were referred to in the relevant Order as "independent". 5. In relation to the response to (4) above, on how many occasions the Department/CWO sent the related CWO Report(s) to the play therapist in advance of delivery of the therapist's own report (in final or draft form) to the CWO or Court. 6. In relation to CWO Reports prepared for the Family Court in child Contact/Residence matters, in how many cases in each of 2019 and 2020 the relevant CWO declined to

meet or otherwise engage with older siblings (including step- or half-siblings) of the subject child being investigated when offered the opportunity to do so for background facts and information by a parent of the subject child."

As you are aware the Department notified you that, following our response to your original request, some information held had not been identified in the original search.
Therefore we notified you that your request would be considered afresh, in its entirety. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find some of the information that you have requested. Following further review our response to your request is as follows: 1. From the information held by the Department six cases in the calendar years 2019 and 2020 have included recommendations for play therapy/counselling. 2. The Family Court Welfare Service do not recommend referrals to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), therefore all recommendations made automatically refer to private therapeutic services. Referrals to CAMHS generally come from GPs, Schools (due to diagnoses of ADHD, Asperger’s etc.), Educational Psychologists or Children’s Social Work Services. CAMHS is specifically for children with mental health issues.
3. From the information held, of the six recommendations made in 2019 and 2020, three of these specifically refer to Beacon Therapeutic Services, the other three recommendations were generic and did not specify a service provider.
4. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Department of Home Affairs does not hold the information that you have requested. However, you may wish to consider contact the Family Court:
Deemsters Walk, Bucks Road, Douglas IM1 3AR or submit a Freedom of Information Request to General Registry directly: https://iomportal.icasework.com/resource?id=741209&db=iom 5. As noted above this information is not held by the Department of Home Affairs.
However, in order to provide advice and assistance the Family Court Welfare Service do not share the Court Welfare Report (“the Report”) with anyone unless we have an Order from the Court as the Report belongs to the Court. It is usually therefore decided in Court, or suggested by the Advocate within Court, that it is mentioned on the Order that Reports are to be shared with the relevant Parties. 6. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Department of Home Affairs does not hold the information that you have requested. However, in order to provide advice and assistance there were ten cases in the calendar years 2019 and 2020 whereby there was no consultation with siblings/half/step siblings. Speaking to siblings/half/step siblings is done on a case by case basis and as to whether it was judged relevant to the case. Please quote the reference number 1693177 in any future communication.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.