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1271420

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and the Humber, what steps he is taking to help avoid the necessity for Cafcass to trigger that prioritisation protocol elsewhere.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130169
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130170 130171 130172 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1271421

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and the Humber, what estimate he has made of the additional financial resources necessary to (a) stabilise Cafcass in South Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) avoid the necessity for Cafcass to trigger that prioritisation protocol elsewhere.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130170
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130169 130171 130172 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1271426

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and Humber, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the effectiveness of Cafcass and (b) increase Cafcass staff retention.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130172
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130169 130170 130171 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1271423

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the decision by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) of 23 November 2020 to allocate only the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and Humber, what impact assessment his Department has carried out on the effect of the prioritisation protocol on children and families in (a) South Yorkshire and Humber and (b) other regions.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	130171
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with Cafcass on mitigating the additional pressures on its services from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Decisions on Cafcass funding are made at a national level. Following discussions with Cafcass, the Ministry of Justice agreed £3.4m in additional funding this year to enable it to increase staff capacity at pace to help meet the challenge of a rising open caseload. It is for Cafcass to make operational decisions about how best to deploy resources across its Service Areas, including allocating work between them to alleviate pressures and reduce the risk of triggering the prioritisation protocol.</p><p> </p><p>Since the protocol was triggered in South Yorkshire and Humberside, significant joint agency work has been undertaken by Cafcass, the judiciary, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and other partners such as local authorities. This work has reviewed the root causes for triggering prioritisation in South Yorkshire and Humberside and has included data analysis and reviews of individual case files. The triggering of the protocol in South Yorkshire and Humberside remains under review.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass has taken measures to manage the impact on children and families of prioritising cases in this Service Area. Cases with a delayed allocation for further Cafcass work will be those where another safeguarding agency is involved or where no safeguarding risks have been identified. The parties will be sent a letter to let them know if Cafcass has been unable to allocate their case and to explain that they will be notified when it has been allocated to a Family Court Adviser. Children will be sent a letter that is age appropriate and explains why their case has been delayed and signposts them to alternative services they can use. The telephone number of a Cafcass Service Manager is given, and they can speak to parents or children if they have concerns about their unallocated case. Delays will be kept to a minimum where possible. All unallocated work will remain under review by a Cafcass Service Manager and reviewed regularly by the Assistant Director in the area and on a weekly basis by a multi-agency group which includes members of the judiciary and HMCTS. A material change to the circumstance of the family could, if appropriate, prompt a change to the priority of the case.</p><p> </p><p>Cafcass continues to work to attract, recruit and retain social workers into the posts created by the additional £3.4m resource. It is continually reviewing and developing options to help retain its highly trained workforce during this challenging time. In South Yorkshire and Humberside Cafcass has recruited a number of agency and permanent Family Court Advisers which has addressed some of the issues present at the point the protocol was triggered.</p><p> </p><p>Ministry of Justice officials hold regular meetings with Cafcass for assurance that its resources are being used as effectively as possible. We are aware of the pressures that Cafcass staff are facing due to unprecedented levels of demand. The importance of being able to recruit and retain appropriately qualified staff is being considered during the approval of Cafcass’ pay remit for this financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 130169 130170 130172 question first answered 11/01/2021 16:15:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

935272

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who sat on the interview panel for the position of Chair of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
	tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
	uin	161526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2018 answer text <p>A total of nine applications were received for the Cafcass Chair role; one applicant subsequently withdrew from the campaign.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The competition was undertaken in line with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Advisory Assessment Panel which was agreed by the Secretary of State comprised:</p><p>- Melissa Case (Panel Chair), Director, Family and Criminal Justice Policy, Ministry of Justice;</p><p>- Liz Doherty, Non-Executive Board Member, Ministry of Justice; and</p><p>- Jody Chatterjee, a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission independent panellist, the independent member.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 161521 161524 question first answered 11/07/2018 16:36:40 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

987952

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his department has any plans for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service to be regulated by an independent governing body.
	tabling member constituency	Welwyn Hatfield
	tabling member printed	Grant Shapps
	uin	179170
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2018 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has no plans for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) to be regulated by an independent governing body. Cafcass is already subject to independent inspection by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 18/10/2018 10:55:30 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	1582 label Biography information for Grant Shapps

539681

	registered interest
	date	18/07/2016
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to carry out a review of the organisational efficiency and effectiveness of Cafcass.
	tabling member constituency	Bootle
	tabling member printed	Peter Dowd
	uin	43060
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/07/2016 answer text <p>The Government is confident that the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) continues to provide high quality social work advice to support decisions by the courts in cases involving children. This reflects the outcome of the inspection in 2014 by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) which judged that as a minimum all children, young people and families receive a service where the quality and effectiveness of Cafcass practice is ‘good’.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the department regularly assesses Cafcass’ efficiency and effectiveness and holds Cafcass to account for its performance, governance and stewardship of public funds.</p> answering member constituency Bracknell answering member printed Dr Phillip Lee grouped question UIN 43059 question first answered 26/07/2016 16:11:22 answering member 3921 label Biography information for Dr Phillip Lee
	tabling member	4397 label Biography information for Peter Dowd

935270

	registered interest
	date	06/07/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the recent application process was for the position of Chair of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
	tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
	uin	161524
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2018 answer text <p>A total of nine applications were received for the Cafcass Chair role; one applicant subsequently withdrew from the campaign.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The competition was undertaken in line with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Advisory Assessment Panel which was agreed by the Secretary of State comprised:</p><p>- Melissa Case (Panel Chair), Director, Family and Criminal Justice Policy, Ministry of Justice;</p><p>- Liz Doherty, Non-Executive Board Member, Ministry of Justice; and</p><p>- Jody Chatterjee, a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission independent panellist, the independent member.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 161521 161526 question first answered 11/07/2018 16:36:40 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

1567580

	registered interest
	date	17/01/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what safeguarding guidance the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service follows when it assists victims of domestic abuse.
	tabling member constituency	South West Devon
	tabling member printed	Sir Gary Streeter
	uin	125228
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2023 answer text <p>Cafcass’ domestic abuse practice guidance consists of a practice pathway and a guidance document that provides social work practitioners with a structured approach to risk assessment of domestic abuse in the family court. This was updated in May 2021 alongside a programme of training in its use for all practice staff. The materials can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.cafcass.gov.uk/grown-ups/professionals/ciaf/resources-for-assessing-domestic-abuse/" target="_blank">Resources for assessing domestic abuse - Cafcass - Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service</a>.</p><p>The practice pathway guidance provides practitioners with a range of assessment tools to use when domestic abuse is part of a family’s circumstances. The aim of this guidance is to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of the child at the centre of proceedings; to promote the best interests of the child and offer a safe recommendation to the court; to work in a trauma focused, respectful and responsive manner; to assess the impact on the child of their lived experience of domestic abuse and to look for strengths in the family and community to promote safety.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 24/01/2023 10:20:13 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
	tabling member	234 label Biography information for Sir Gary Streeter

1253279

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	CAFCASS
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (a) management, (b) staff, (c) trade union representatives, (d) users and (e) other stakeholders on maintaining the effectiveness of that service.
	tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
	tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
	uin	117326
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice monitors the effectiveness of Cafcass thorough a partnership relationship which includes regular contact between Departmental officials and senior Cafcass executives. The Ministry of Justice is represented on a weekly Programme Board held by Cafcass to monitor the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on its performance, staff and users. The Permanent Secretary, as Principal Accounting Officer, has also been in regular communication with the Chief Executive and Chair of Cafcass to discuss how services to users can be effectively maintained, and how Cafcass staff are being supported, during current restrictions. Ministers have oversight of the performance of the wider family justice system and agree key priorities through the national Family Justice Board which includes Cafcass and relevant stakeholders in the family justice area.</p><p>Cafcass, as an Arms’ Length Body (ALB) of the MoJ, employs and regulates relations with its staff independently of the Ministry of Justice. As an ALB, discussions with trade union representatives are a matter for Cafcass only.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 23/11/2020 15:43:21 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts