News & Resources – Publications/Research

Remote hearings in the family justice system: September 2020 follow-up consultation

The President of the Family Division asked the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory to undertake a rapid consultation on the use of remote hearings in the family court. The consultation ran for a two-week period from 14 to 28 April 2020 and well over... Read more

Article in CYPN: Critics Accuse DfE of 'Sinking to New Low' over revised consultation results

This article by Children and Young People Now and published on their website is copied below or can be downloaded by clicking on this link: ... Read more

Children’s Commissioner’s report on children being placed in unregulated accommodation published 10 September 2020

In her report today, Ann Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England calls for a ban on the use of unregulated accommodation for children in care. She says: At the moment, some of the country’s most vulnerable teenagers are being housed in... Read more

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory - latest research on contact for children in care

six key messages about contact for children in care or adopted

The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory sets out six key messages about contact for children in care or adopted which come from the latest research. Click here to read the full report. September 2020 Read more

Community Care Article - Black and ethnic minority social workers disproportionately subject to fitness to practise investigations

Black and ethnic minority social workers disproportionately subject to fitness to practise investigations Social Work England promises action as figures show disproportionately low number of ethnic minority panel members making decisions about... Read more

MoJ report on Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases

The Ministry of Justice has today published the Final Report on “Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases”, by the panel of experts undertaking the work. In May 2019 the Ministry of Justice convened a panel of... Read more

Charlie Taylor's review of pain-inducing restraint

The Ministry of Justice published on 18 June a review of the use of pain-inducing restraint authorised for use on children as young as 10 during their journeys to and from custodial institutions, and within child prisons. The review, led by the... Read more

Children's Commissioner report: 'We're all in this together'

Local area profiles of child vulnerability

April 2020 The Children’s Commissioner’s local area profiles of child vulnerability provide a way for councils to understand which groups of children are likely to be at risk under lockdown, and how many children in their area fall into those... Read more

Covid-19: Update from Nagalro

Check government guidance regularly

Covid-19 The Covid-19 outbreak imposes very significant challenges for all of us.  Nagalro members including ISWs, Children’s Guardians and Family Court Advisers carry out extremely important work often under challenging circumstances.  However,... Read more

Private Law Family Disputes: The time for change; The need for change; The case for change

This is the second report of the President’s Private Law Working Group. It makes radical proposals for root and branch reform of the way in which private law cases are dealt with and calls for more attention to be paid to the voice of the child (see... Read more

Looked after Children in independent or semi-independent placements

February 2020

DoE article 'Looked after children in independent or semi-independent placements. Download article here. Read more

Pass the Parcel - Children posted around the care system

Children's Commissioner article 'Pass the Parcel - Children posted around the care system' Download article here. Read more

Independent assurance review of the effectiveness of multi-agency responses to child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester

Part One: An assurance review of Operation Augusta

Independent assurance review of the effectiveness of multi-agency responses to child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester Part One:  An assurance review of Operation Augusta Malcolm Newsam CBE and Gary Ridgway December 2019 Download... Read more

Social Workers and Children's Guardians in the family justice system

A research based future

A talk by Sir James Munby at the 30th anniversary celebration of Nagalro at Gray’s Inn on 21 May 2019 Download presentation here Read more

Review of anonymised judgments on Bailii: Children, privacy and ‘jigsaw identification’

A review of anonymised judgments on Bailii: Children, privacy and ‘jigsaw identification’ Julia Brophy, with Kate Perry and Eleanor Harrison  Download document here October 2015 Read more

Nagalro Guide to the Cafcass Professional Time Guidance 2019

How to Interpret and Lawfully apply Cafcass' 'Draft Guidance on the use of Professional Time

Download document here Read more

Contact: a point of view

Lord Justice McFarlane

Speech by Lord Justice McFarlane at the Nagalro Annual Conference 2018 Keynote Address: Contact: a point of view Download speech here Read more

Who Guards the Guardians?

Article by Nagalro and ALC published in Family Law

Download full article here Read more

Oxford Evaluation. Use and Value of ISW expertise to senior Judges Stage 11. Executive Summary

NEITHER FEAR NOR FAVOUR, AFFECTION OR ILL WILL:  MODERNISATION OF CARE PROCEEDINGS AND THE USE AND VALUE OF INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORK EXPERTISE TO SENIOR JUDGES STAGE II ± Dr Julia Brophy Judith Sidaway, Dr Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, Charlie Owen and ... Read more

Oxford Evaluation. The contribution of experts in care proceedings

EVALUATION OF INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORK REPORTS IN CARE PROCEEDINGS Dr Julia Brophy Charlie Owen, Judith Sidaway, Dr Jagbir Jhutti Johal Department of Social Policy and Intervention University of Oxford Download report here 19 April 2012 Read more