Sandra Davis' Week: Don't blame Cafcass for being unfit for purpose

Much of the press has picked up on a report published yesterday by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which has condemned organisational and systemic failures in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass).

Cafcass has been lambasted for being unprepared for and unable to cope with the increase in its caseload that followed the death of Peter Connelly in August 2007. According to the Committee as a direct result of those failings 2009/10 saw "chaos across the family justice system".

Employing somewhat hackneyed political language Margaret Hodge Chair of the PAC said the Service was "not fit for purpose" and was only able to respond to increased demand through the use of measures "which allowed it to do less work or to delay work on cases".

Cafcass may be far from perfect but if it is being set up as a political punch bag...

Read the full article here.