(2) if he will publish the business case for the recommendations contained in the report “Organising for Quality” produced by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service;
(3) what he expects the effect of the recommendations contained in “Organising for Quality” to be upon the budget of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the next two financial years;
(4) if he will increase the staff capacity in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service for services in (a) public and (b) private law;
(5) on what evidential basis he expects the recommendations contained in the report of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service “Organising for Quality” to improve services for children and families.
These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 2 March 2007:
I am writing to you in response to the five parliamentary questions that you tabled recently:
PQ 123378—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve front-line services provided by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
CAFCASS is currently consulting on a major strategy for the next 3 years, set out in its recent consultation paper “Organising for Quality”. A final consultation on new National Standards for CAFCASS is part of that consultation. Practice development is the strongest single theme of the proposed changes, and the implementation plan formulated after the consultation ends will be a published document, available at the end of March 2007.
PQ 123385—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will publish the business case for the recommendations contained in the report, Organising for Quality, produced by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.
CAFCASS will ensure that all proposals from its consultation paper, “Organising for Quality”, which it decides to take forward, can be funded from within its annual grant. CAFCASS publishes its accounts at the end of each financial year and year on year changes can be seen.
PQ 123389—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what he expects the effect of the recommendations contained in Organising for Quality to be upon the budget of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in each of the two financial years.
“Organising for Quality” makes several recommendations about how CAFCASS’s services can be improved within its annual budget allocation. These proposals are currently out to consultation. Priorities for each year will be set once the annual budget is know. Overarching priorities for the next three years will be set out in CAFCASS’s new business plan, which will be a plan for 2007-10.
PQ 123398—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if he will increase the staff capacity in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service for services in (a) public and (b) private law.
CAFCASS continue to make every effort to ensure that the greatest possible percentage of its annual budget is spent on front-line practitioners and administrators. Expenditure on employed staff in these categories has increased slightly over the last five years.
PQ 123415—To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, on what evidential basis he expects the recommendations contained in the report of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, Organising for Quality, to improve services for children and families.
CAFCASS will publish its proposals for future years by the end of March 2007, taking into account a range of factors, including evidence from its current programmes, from close analysis of its management information, including service trends, and having considered all the responses to its current consultation paper, “Organising for Quality”.
A copy of this reply will be placed in the House Library.