1. Mary Ryan and Sally Ann Jenkins
Cardiff 12 September 2018
©Family Rights Group

2. “We are facing a crisis and, truth be told, we have no very clear strategy for meting the crisis. What is to be done?”
Sir James Munby, 2016
The Care Crisis Review:
A “collation of the willing”
Examine the reasons for the rise in care proceedings and number of children in care in England & Wales
Take account of the current national economic, financial, legal and policy context that impacts on families and on local authority & court practice
Identify solutions at practice, organisational and system level to tackle the crisis
England and Wales.

3. How the review was conducted
Stakeholder Advisory Group
Listening exercise involving over 2,000 people across England and Wales
Roundtable discussions on contributory factors
Surveys
Discussion events
Rapid Academic Review of evidence

4. Suite of Care Crisis Review Reports

9. Factors contributing to national increases
Aim:
Identify and synthesise the evidence.
Informed by:
National administrative datasets for England & Wales
Analysis of research and administrative data undertaken by Nuffield seminar participants
A scoping exercise for the FJO
Reports from recent relevant inquiries
Recent reviews of research
Care Crisis Review (CCR) survey results
Written evidence submitted to the Review
Discussions at CCR consultation events.

10. Factors contributing to national increases
Beneath national statistics lie marked regional and local variations
Many overlapping contributory factors and little evidence about relative impact of individual factors
Socio economic
Legal and policy frameworks
Professional practice
Child and family circumstances
Tensions in the system

11. Key messages across the Review
Blame, shame, fear & frustration
A complex picture: no single solution
Consensus regarding:
- Relationship building being at heart of good practice
- The wider family and community being an untapped
resources for some children.
The challenge: to create conditions
that allow good relationships to flourish.

12. Messages from Research DoH
“The most important condition for success was found always to be the quality of the relationship between the child’s family and the responsible professional”
Messages from Research DoH

13. 20 Options for Change Good systems & practice Shared vision & - ethos
Training and development
Inspection
Approaches that enable families to understand professionals’ concerns & draw upon their strengths e.g. FGCs
Family & friends care:
- Strengthen statutory guidance
- LAs to renew focus on policy
- Paid leave & post proceedings support.
Early advice & access to advocacy; MoJ impact analysis.
Pre-proceedings good practice
Section 76 voluntary accommodation – guidance and access to free, independent legal advice.
Shared vision & - ethos
Collaboration
- Statutory guidance

14. 20 Options for Change
Moving away from undue focus on process and KPIs in Family Justice System
Draw on lessons from problem solving court
Dedicated post removal support
Reunification: greater use of guidance & tools
National & local family justice boards: review role, purpose & emphasis
Families as a resource in service design and development
Resources (£ shortfall) & research matter
Impact assessment of govt. policies

15. Do the findings from the Review resonate with your own experience?
Do any of the findings from the Review come as a surprise?
Which of the ‘Options for change’ particularly capture your attention/ interest and why?

16.
©Family Rights Group