Office of the Family Advocate – Cape Town

When there is a dispute regarding contact, guardianship or care (parental responsibilities and rights) regarding a minor child, it would often happen that the Office of the Family Advocate would be requested to investigate into the welfare and best interest of the minor child involved. They therefore often provide a report which is handed to the relevant Court for consideration. They have to be objective. For this reason, the Office of the Family Advocate is not employed by the parties and work for the State. They are therefore objective in their investigation and only have the children’s best interests at heart. They may get involved in matters heard in the divorce court, children’s court, and more often, in the High Court.

We are conveniently located in the Pinnacle Building, in the Cape Town CBD. Click here to call us on (021) 4243487 or send us an email.

Family Advocate’s Involvement

In a typical custody dispute, a Family Advocate and social worker would be appointed to a case and investigate it. The social worker and the Family Advocate would consult with the parents (or parties involved in the dispute), visit their homes if necessary and obtain information from relevant parties etc. The Family Advocate and social worker would also speak to the child and may want to observe the child’s interaction with the parents. If there are other professionals, for example, a social worker or a psychologist who assessed the situation and provided a report, the Office of the Family Advocate would consider those documents as well and even consult with those experts before handing in their report to court.

What else does Family Advocate’s do?

In unopposed divorce matters, the office of the Family Advocate would be required to endorse a consent paper or settlement agreement the parties entered into. This would therefore only apply in the case where there are minor children involved. Therefore, make sure you service all divorce documents on them.

Contact details of the Office of the Family Advocate

The Contact details of the Family Advocate’s Office in Cape Town are as follows:

Adv. S. Ebrahim (Principal Family Advocate)

Tel.: 021 426 1216

Fax.: 021 426 1215

Email.: [email protected]

Address: 55 Union Castle Building, 10th Floor, c/o House Street & St George’s Mall, Cape Town

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