Annual Report 2006-2007 - Cafcass

Chief
Executive’s
Report
Cafcass provides expert analysis and clear recommendations to those with a caring
responsibility for understanding the needs, wishes and feelings of children and young people
whose cases are heard in the English family courts. But we do much more than that.
We work directly with children, families and professionals to make the most effective
contribution we can to improving the quality of life of all the children in need and children in care
referred to us by the family courts. We are working hard to be clearer about the evidence base for
our work, and to demonstrate the value we add.
In the year covered by this Annual Report we developed
far stronger frameworks in vital practice areas like
safeguarding. We delivered practice improvements in
the assessment of risk in private law cases involving
domestic violence, progress which was validated by our
inspectors. We improved our response times in public law
cases, in a year when demand for this service rose, as it
has done consistently in recent years. We strengthened
our infrastructure and this was clear in the progress
reports considered and approved by our Audit Committee.
We delivered a balanced budget and completed several
important change programmes using in-year funding
provided by DfES. This included completion of the roll-out
of our new Case Management System (CMS) to all teams;
an upgrade of our IT network and the start of hardware
replacement; and expansion of important practice
programmes like Extended Dispute Resolution and Family
Group Conferencing.
We face the same pressures as all frontline organisations,
and we will have to work just as hard in 2007–08 and future
years to stay on top of work that is often complex, tough
and draining, as well as rewarding, for frontline staff.
I would like to pay tribute to all my staff for their continued
commitment to the children and young people we have a
duty to support.
What then of the year ahead The following is our
Statement of Priorities for 2007–08.
• Implementing our new National Standards, which were
launched on 1st June 2007.
• Achieving a step change in performance in teams where
this is needed, and consolidating high performance
levels in those teams that have reached that level and
standard already.
• Carrying out development work so we are compliant
with the New Public Law Outline (revised Judicial
Protocol) by April 2008.
• Roll-out of our new national private law model, in
synch with the next stages of the President’s Private
Law Programme.
• Achieving measurably higher levels of staff engagement
in corporate programmes.
• Implementing our new national structure, following the
2006–07 Organising for Quality consultation, including
the development of new roles such as Family Support
Worker and Practice Supervisor.
• Strengthening external partnerships, as part of an
expanding commissioning role and function.
Our programme for 2007–08 is ambitious, but no more
ambitious than our achievements last year, as I hope this
Annual Report is able to demonstrate. We have received
a 5.8% budget increase for 2007–08 from DfES, which
provides a platform for much of what we need to do in the
coming year. We are in our seventh year. Like any stillyoung
organisation, we are maturing and developing fast,
albeit with some things we could have done differently and
with frustrations along the way. I would say that is part of
the learning process. Our aim is continuous improvement
in all we do and next year we will continue striving to
that end.
Anthony Douglas
Chief Executive’s Report |