Cafcass boost training budget by 70%

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service today announced an increase of almost 70% in its training budget for 2008-9 and plans for each staff member to receive £250 to spend on training.

The increase fulfils a longstanding ambition of chief executive Anthony Douglas to boost the family court body’s spending on training, which will be £2m in 2008-9.

Under the plan, every member of staff will be given £250 to spend on training in an individual learning account, which can be used for courses, coaching, mentoring and conference attendance. Each head of service will also receive £10,000 to spend on training and learning.

Daming East Midlands report

A damning report into Cafcass’s private law work in the East Midlands, published in February, found improvements to practice were being hampered by a lack of consistent training.

Today’s news also comes after Cafcass signed two partnership deals to improve practice. In April, it announced its south east region had teamed up with children’s charity Coram in a deal designed to improve private law practice through additional consultation for family court advisors in child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychology.

And in March, it signed a contract to provide all of its FCAs with access to Community Care Inform, an online reference tool for practitioners working with children and families.

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