Joint Position Statement from the Interdisciplinary Alliance for Children on CAFCASS working practices on the NAGALRO website (click on latest news in left hand menu, doc is currently 2nd item down in list). Nagalro and ALC have written to Anthony Douglas (CEO CAFCASS) to notify him that they will be advising their members not to comply with the CAFCASS policy of using pro forma letters to limit the role of a Guardian in care proceedings which they say is incompatible both with s41 Children Act 1989 and the personal professional obligations a Guardian owes to the court and in respect of their own professional code of conduct. Letters bear reading in full (see here and again on NAGALRO website).
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This sort of bust up has been a long time coming. However, am presently too distracted with post-wisdom-tooth-extraction wooziness to comment meaningfully….today you must read for yourselves.
POSTSCRIPT: CAFCASS CEO Anthony Douglas’ response to the letters and position statement.
I also have experience of local protocols being introduced; have any of your contributors had experience of this?
Different topic, but there is a noticeable absence of comment upon the fact that the LSC have reduced the number of solicitors firms franchised to do family work by 46%. I know several of my colleagues who have devoted decades of their lives to serve the LSC and their clients with distinction, only to lose a significant portion of their income overnight. I am truly sorry for anyone in that position. Is this something that has passed you by, or do you believe that it will not have an effect on the family bar?
RE: LSC solicitors. Your point is well made, it was on my list of things to blog about and I have now rectified this obvious gap in information here.