News & Resources

DfE Adoption Strategy published July 2021

Click here to download the Adoption Strategy published by the DfE on 27 July 2021      Read more

Case For Change. Government's current independent review of Children's Social Care

Please click on this link to download the update titled 'The Case for Change' from the Government's independent review of Children's social care. 17 June 2021 Read more

Cafcass Domestic Abuse Learning and Improvement Plan - June 2021

Please click here to download the Cafcass Domestic Abuse Learning and Improvement Plan June 2021 Also Cafcass Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway Cafcass Domestic Abuse Practice Guidance Read more

A rapid review of Evidence: Supporting and strengthening families through provision of early help

A Rapid Review of Evidence by Amy Edwards, Roya Gharbi, Ava Berry, Robbie Duschinsky June 2021 This research is part of Living Assessments, a five–year research project on children’s health and social care funded by the Wellcome Trust in a... Read more

Report from Nuffield FJO on newborn babies in urgent care proceedings

New statistics published on infants in care proceedings today reveal that the number of cases has continued to grow in England and Wales in recent years. Statistics also show that in the majority of cases involving newborn babies parents are given... Read more

Transparency v The Privacy of the Child

The Court of Appeal has just handed down its decision in Re M in which a freelance journalist sought access to the case papers for a complex set of care/placement order proceedings. Lady Justice King dismisses the appeal by the journalist against... Read more

Court of Appeal Guidance on Domestic Abuse and Findings of Fact

From 19 to 21 January 2021, the Court of Appeal heard four conjoined appeals in relation to finding of fact hearings in private law cases where domestic abuse was raised as an issue. There were several interveners, including the ALC.  On 30 March... Read more

Article in Community Care: Cafcass case numbers hit new record but staffing boost keeps social work caseloads in check

Please click here to read the article in Community Care Read more

Ethnic disproportionality in remand and sentencing in the youth justice system

This research was published in January 2021 and be downloaded here.     Read more

Article in Social Work Today: How the latest children's social care review could pave the way for further privatisation

Ray Jones, author of “In Whose Interest? The Privatisation of Child Protection and Social Work”, argues that the latest review of children’s social care in England has “every danger” of being another step towards further privatisation. Article... Read more

Children's Commissioner report on state of children's mental health services in England

Please click here to download Children's Commissioner report published in January 2021 on the state of children's mental health services in England Read more

The 1996 Hague Convention

New guidance for local authorities to deal with cross-border child protection cases

On 6 January 2020 the DfE issued new guidance for local authorities to deal with cross-border child protection cases. The new guidance is required because, for countries in the EU, these issues would previously have been dealt with under a European... Read more

Family Justice Board statement on priorities in family justice

The Family Justice Board statement on priorities for the family justice system. This sets out the planned priorities to deal with the backlog of cases which we now face as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.   Download the statement... Read more

Article 39 Court of Appeal judgment. DoE is NOT seeking to appeal.

‘The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020’ -statutory instrument: no 445

The Court of Appeal found the Secretary of State for Education to have acted unlawfully in removing safeguards for children in care by failing to consult the Children’s Commissioner and other bodies representing the rights of children in care before... Read more

Nagalro response to the Cafcass protocol for the prioritisation of casework.

Nagalro response to the Cafcass protocol for the prioritisation of casework. Nagalro is in the process of investigating the decision by Cafcass to only allocate the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and Humberside.  Nagalro is very... Read more

Nagalro Guidance to Members during the November 2020 Lockdown

Please click on this link to download the Guidance. Read more

Message from the Lord Chief Justice and senior President of Tribunals re new Covid-19 restrictions for England

To read the message please click on this link https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/message-from-the-lord-chief-justice-and-senior-president-of-tribunals-new-covid-19-restrictions-for-england/   Read more

Remote hearings in the family justice system: September 2020 follow-up consultation

The President of the Family Division asked the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory to undertake a rapid consultation on the use of remote hearings in the family court. The consultation ran for a two-week period from 14 to 28 April 2020 and well over... Read more

Article in CYPN: Critics Accuse DfE of 'Sinking to New Low' over revised consultation results

This article by Children and Young People Now and published on their website is copied below or can be downloaded by clicking on this link: ... Read more

Children’s Commissioner’s report on children being placed in unregulated accommodation published 10 September 2020

In her report today, Ann Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England calls for a ban on the use of unregulated accommodation for children in care. She says: At the moment, some of the country’s most vulnerable teenagers are being housed in... Read more