Cafcass Annual Report Published
23rd October 2002
The Children and Family Court Advisory and
Support Service (Cafcass) publishes its second annual report and
accounts today, for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003.
In the Chairman’s overview, Anthony Hewson
OBE, stated that some very real achievements have been made within
Cafcass over the last year regarding the serious work of setting up
a new organisation and establishing a proper infrastructure.
He described the new harmonised terms and conditions for employed
and self-employed staff as an essential step in creating a unified
organisation, able to respond flexibly to the demands it faces. He
highlighted the development of a Cafcass national training
strategy, which emphasises a commitment to ensuring that all staff
are supported, developed and enabled to reach their full
potential.
Following consultation exercises, the new
Service Principles and Standards and Comments, Compliments and
Complaints Policy bring together and develop those inherited from
the three former services from which Cafcass was established,
taking Cafcass further along the path of creating an integrated,
unified service. A new, easier to access and use, website has also
been introduced as part of a dedicated drive to improve
communications with children, families, and other stakeholders.
An overview of service provision reveals a
large increase in public and private law requests. For the year
April 2002 to March 2003 the nine English Regions and Wales
received 48,576 requests relating to 75,370 children and young
people.
Chief executive, Jonathan Tross concludes the
report by highlighting that the transfer of responsibility for
Cafcass from the Lord Chancellor’s Department to the Department for
Education and Skills will provide a new opportunity to consider
priorities and assess how the organisation can most effectively
contribute to wider issues relating to the protection of children.
He said, “We are aiming both to complete the establishment of the
organisation and, at the same time, move on with increased
confidence to develop our services and remit. A key challenge
for the coming year will be the development of better performance
management and control of the service to increase our ability to
respond to the rising demand we have faced.”