Oxford Evaluation. ISW Assessments Executive Summary 12 April 2012

THE CONTRIBUTION OF EXPERTS IN CARE PROCEEDINGS EVALUATION OF THE WORK OF INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORK ASSESSMENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY by Dr Julia Brophy
Charlie Owen, Judith Sidaway, Dr Jagbir Jhutti Johal
University of Oxford

Several concerns surround the use of independent social work (ISW) assessments in care
proceedings. Some result from the exclusion of this work from a review of legal aid for
expert assessments in this field, a cap on ISW fees, and fears about a resulting reduction in
the availability of ISWs. At the same time, submissions to the Family Justice Review (FJR)
claimed that ISWs cause delay, simply duplicate existing local authority assessments, add
nothing new and undermine confidence in social work assessments. It was also said that
ISW reports result from parents utilising human rights claims to gain a second opinion of a
local authority assessment and to which courts too readily accede.

Download Executive Summary here