Listening to the wishes of young people involved in court care and contact proceedings must be "integrated and intertwined" with safeguarding and welfare issues, delegates heard today at Community Care Live 2006.
Christine Smart, children’s rights director at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, said the organisation’s "biggest challenge" was to translate what young people wanted into its service and make it "relevant to them".
"We don’t want to be tokenistic," she said. "We want our very limited resources to go into engaging children to get a better understanding of what they want."
She said this was why Cafcass was refocusing its work to concentrate less on writing reports and more on the wishes and feelings of children.
Click HERE to view all todays news from Community Care Live.
Children and Young Persons Bill: Last-ditch amendments fail
10 October 2008
Rush to amend Children and Young Persons Bill
08 October 2008
David Miliband set to end asylum opt-out on UN child rights charter
22 September 2008
DCSF wants Sure Start centres placed on statutory footing
16 September 2008
Conduct: Jacinta Hofstetter says GSCC has pro-employer bias
GSCC conduct: Tricia Forbes wins Care Standards Tribunal appeal
LGA demand inquiry into credit ratings of Icelandic banks
GSCC case: Jacinta Hofstetter's practice slammed by ex-colleague
Details of government consultations
02 October 2008
Private Member Bills
25 July 2008
Government Legislation
25 July 2008
