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<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>
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