Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
| Abbreviation | Cafcass |
|---|---|
| Formation | April 1, 2001 |
| Type | Non-departmental public body |
| Purpose | Reporting to Courts on the Safeguarding and welfare of children involved in Public and Private law Family proceedings |
|
Region served
|
England |
|
Chief Executive
|
Anthony Douglas |
|
Parent organization
|
Ministry of Justice |
| Website | www.cafcass.gov.uk |
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) is a non-departmental public body in England set up to promote the welfare of children and families involved in family court. It was formed in April 2001 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 and is accountable to Parliament through the Ministry of Justice. Cafcass is independent of the courts, social services, education, health authorities and all similar agencies.
Court proceedings for which Cafcass may provide support include:
Cafcass' function is set out in Section 12(1) Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 which states:
“In respect of family proceedings in which the welfare of children is or may be in question, it is a function of [Cafcass] to:
(a) safeguard and promote the welfare of the children
(b) give advice to any court about any application made to it in such proceedings
(c) make provision for the children to be represented in such proceedings
(d) provide information, advice and other support for the children and their families.”
The provisions of court welfare services were the subject of two reviews. The Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) and a subsequent review conducted jointly by the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor’s Department and the Department of Health concluded that a new integrated service subsuming these functions could improve service to the courts, better safeguard the interests of children, reduce wasteful overlaps and increase efficiency.
The services spanned England and Wales and included: Family Court Welfare (FCW) (54 areas); the Guardian ad litem and Reporting Officer (GALRO) Service (59 panels) and the children’s work of the Official Solicitor’s (OS) Department.
The Home Office stated: "The review announced by the Home Secretary on July 16, 1997 into the relationship between the Prison Service and probation service may herald important changes to the structure, organisation, management, working practices, human resources and funding of the probation service. Both the prison-probation review and the Comprehensive Spending Review should result in steps which should improve public confidence in community penalties."
...
Wikipedia