Guardians ponder tougher entry rules

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service is
considering raising the entry bar for social workers seeking to
become children’s guardians.

Under the plan, staff would need five years’ post-qualification
experience to become guardians, rather than the current three
years.

It is being considered as part of chief executive Anthony Douglas’
five-year strategy to transform the organisation, although a
Cafcass spokesperson said there were “no hard and fast plans” to
proceed.

The move was welcomed by guardians’ association Nagalro, whose
chair Alison Paddle said: “The guardian role involves a critical
appraisal of social services departments… The expectation of the
court is that you have somebody with sufficient skills and
experience.”