CAFCASS SERVICES ARE OF GOOD STANDARDS IN WALES

[Alison J Stevens]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170496.php


Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 11 Nov 2009 - 1:00 PST

CAFCASS CYMRU, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Wales today released its fourth annual report.

The report shows how it provided its services to meet the needs of families, children and young people involved in family court proceedings.

For the year 2008/09, the organisation reports that 98.6% of its public law cases were allocated to specialist practitioners within just two days of referral.

CAFCASS CYMRU also reached its targets for dealing with private law cases by allocating 100% of its cases to specialist practitioners before the deadline.

Derek Griffin, Chief Executive of CAFCASS CYMRU, commented: "Personnel within the organisation have shown great commitment to improving service delivery to children and families involved in family court proceedings. The results reported are pleasing given new duties placed on the organisation due to legislative changes, and the growth in referrals from court."

Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, said: "The report shows that CAFCASS CYMRU performed well during a very challenging year. It is pleasing to see the commitment and desire to improve participation of children and young people expressed in the report. CAFCASS CYMRU support some of the most vulnerable children in our society. I am grateful for the commitment of the staff in what are often very sensitive, emotional and complex family circumstances."

A full electronic copy of the Annual Report can be found here.

Notes

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) was established on the 1st of April 2001 in accordance with the Criminal Justice and Court Service Act 2000.

It brought together the Family Court Welfare Service (part of the probation service), the Guardian ad Litem and Reporting Officer Service (Panels funded by Local Authorities) and the Children's Division of the Official Solicitors (part of the Lord Chancellors Department). As an executive Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB), accountable initially to the Lord Chancellor and later to the Minister for Children at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Cafcass was an England and Wales organisation.

Following the implementation of the Children Act 2004, CAFCASS in Wales became part of the Welsh Assembly Government on 1st of April 2005 and is called CAFCASS CYMRU.

Source
CAFCASS CYMRU

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[Alison J Stevens]

It is a pity it is not like this through out the rest of the Country, within the West Midlands there is up to a 5 month wait for a Guardian to be appointed to Public and Private Law cases.an absolute disgrace when these so called profeshionals should be appointed, within a week of of cases reaching the Family Court arena.
The former is failing children and families, on a large scale, leaving children at risk of abuse or even death,and in the majority of cases innocent Parents being apart from their children for a longer time scale, not at all acceptable.
Cafcass have new guidelines out, to as they say manage their heavy caseload, which has increased tenfold, since the alarmingly increase in Care Proceedings, arising out of the death of Baby Peter,and other Local Authority failings, resulting in the death of vulnerable children up and down the country, these new guidelines will last until March 2010.