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| CATEGORIES ABOUT CHILDREN AND FAMILY COURT ADVISORY AND SUPPORT SERVICE | |
| british society | |
| public bodies and task forces of the united kingdom government | |
| english family law | |
| 2001 establishments | |
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With effect from 1 April 2005, responsibility for the functions of the Children & Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Wales became the responsibility of the National Assembly for Wales. CAFCASS looks after the interests of children involved in family proceedings. It works with children and their families, and then advises the courts on what it considers to be in the children's best interests. CAFCASS only works in the family courts. Examples of matters that may be taken to family courts are:
During 2003 CAFCASS was one of the targets of demonstrations by Fathers 4 Justice as part of the Fathers' Rights campaign. In 2004 CAFCASS published a policy and procedure to do with Domestic Violence . Baroness Pitkeathley OBE is the current Chair of the CAFCASS Board, which includes eleven other members . Anthony Douglas is the current Chief Executive and Accounting Officer; he is supported by the Corporate Decisions Group, nine regional managers and the Director of CAFCASS Cymru. CRITICISM OF CAFCASS Whilst the majority of CAFCASS users find that the intervention by the agency helps them find a resolution in the interests of their child, some fail to accept that social work practitioners might have a legitimate view on child welfare. CAFCASS has been repeatedly criticised by Fathers' Rights groups who claim that it is failing in its duty to promote the welfare of children through unfairly denying children contact with absent parents (usually fathers). CAFCASS are also accused of overstepping their legal powers and taking an ideological position in favour of women. In practice, CAFCASS practitioners use their professional judgement on what is best for each individual child, based on the facts of the case. They are assisted in this difficult task when the parents in dispute can accept that the welfare of the child is paramount in law (Children Act 1989), and make genuine efforts to seek a resolution between themselves for the children's benefit. In December 2003 , CAFCASS's board was dismissed by Lord Falconer Of Thoroton , the Lord Chancellor . BUDGET OF CAFCASS The Cafcass Total Resource Budget is published as being;
CAFCASS HISTORY Cafcass was established in April 2001, and undertook work formally provided by three separate departments;
Cafcass was also created to make available, support for parents bringing actions in the Family Court because of conflicts over arrangements about their children. The impetus for creating CAFCASS was for primary financial reasons, to curtail the escalating costs of the Guardian ad Litem service. For this reason and also reduce the delay in the allocation of care cases put before the Courts, and of cases brought by the parties in dispute. House Of Commons Lord Chancellor's Department Some of these concerns were shared by CAFCASS employees. House of Commons Select Committee on the Lord Chancellor's Department CAFCASS's functions on inception was to: safeguard and promote the welfare of the child; give advice to the court about any application made to it in such proceedings and prepare a report for the court; to make provision for children to be represented in such proceedings; and to provide information, advice and support for children and their families. In 2005/06 CAFCASS produced the consultation document Every Day Matters which led in turn to the development of a draft set of National Standards. These standards set out what service users, partner agencies and practitioners in the family justice system can expect from CAFCASS. The Standards update the 2003 CAFCASS Service Standards and Principles, and will be phased in from 1 April 2007. Before then, they are being piloted in the North East Region. The National Standards put children in the family justice system at the heart of the service. The standards recognise the importance of service-user feedback and the active engagement and participation of children in their own case planning process. CAFCASS has been actively promoting the importance of listening to children and including their views in the decision making processes involved in court proceedings. Young people can offer their own "Needs, Wishes and Feelings" statement directly to the judge if they so choose. This work has been led by the Children's Rights Team who spearheaded the formation of a Young People's Board for CAFCASS. This Board consists of 12 young people who have experience of using CAFCASS' services. Since formation in August 2006 they have been helping to shape CAFCASS policies and procedures. NOTES |
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