1. FAMILY JUSTICE REFORM Annabel Burns
Family Law and Relationship Support Division
DfE
June 2012

2. Family Justice System – the need for change
Life changing decisions for many thousands of children and families each year
500,000 children and adults involved in the system each year, either in private or public law cases
FJR concluded that the system was not delivering as it should for children
With cases now taking on average 56 weeks the life chances of already damaged children are further undermined by the very system that is supposed to protect them
FJR Final Report

3. Key Issues
Fragmentation across different agencies, lack of accountability, and little hard data
Long delays in care proceedings
Too many disputes between separating couples played out before the courts, with damaging consequences for children

4. Key commitments
Legislating to speed up care cases, ensuring that in future cases can be completed within six months
Providing greater help to parents who do separate
Emphasising the importance of children having an ongoing relationship with both parents
A new Family Justice Board to strengthen coherence and drive performance improvements across the system
Working with LAs and other agencies to help strengthen professional practice

5. Taking forward the changes
Hugely challenging agenda but work already well underway
Key legislative changes, including the 6 month time limit for case cases, due in this Parliamentary session
Family Justice Board is up and running
New multi-agency Local Family Justice Boards

6. Public Law Priorities Speeding-up cases: time limit and ICOs
Reducing unnecessary duplication
Ensuring a clearer, stronger role for the judiciary within the case management process
Reducing the number of experts commissioned by the courts
Spreading best social care practice

7. Government Support for LAs
Government has committed to
delivering improvements in partnership
supporting a new targeted programme of work to capture and disseminate best practice
building on the broader social work improvements already in train following the Munro Review and the Social Work Reform programme
This seminar and broader work by the CIB is part of that process

8. FJR and LAs Practice improvement – particular priorities
better quality assessments submitted to time as part of the care application process
summary evidence better tailored to the court’s needs
stronger and more systematic pre-proceedings work with families
closer collaboration between IROs and the children’s guardian
better dialogue and joint learning between the judiciary and local authorities
an assertive approach to performance monitoring and quality assurance by local authority leaders.
“Local Authorities are critical to proceedings…we have challenged the ready assumption that they are incompetent in what they do. This is far from the case and we have ample evidence of good practice. But we have also seen that poor practice happens”
FJR Final Report

9. Next steps
Social care workforce development: court-related skills and CPD
Good practice development in relation to IROs and care planning
Publication of summary guidance on child development
September: Adoption Panel change brought into effect
continued………..

10. Next steps continued
FJB action plan – laying the ground for the introduction of the six month time limit
Improvement work at local level: formation of Local Family Justice Boards
Judiciary announces its plans for formal guidance, training and new court processes

11. Opportunities and Challenges
Reform programme designed to deliver swifter decisions and better outcomes for children
Significant potential benefits for LAs
But benefits depend on securing greater consistency and quality in LA applications
Some excellent practice already across many LAs and strong commitment to FJR reforms from LA leaders
But key challenge, during period of change and budgetary constraints, will be to ensure good practice extends to all