News & Resources – Children’s Guardian / Family Court Adviser

Nagalro response to the Cafcass protocol for the prioritisation of casework.

Nagalro response to the Cafcass protocol for the prioritisation of casework. Nagalro is in the process of investigating the decision by Cafcass to only allocate the highest priority work in South Yorkshire and Humberside.  Nagalro is very... Read more

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

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

From Active Participants to Passive Auditors: Nagalro's concerns about the diminishing role of the Children's Guardian

Introduction Applications to remove or replace the children’s guardian are rare enough.  A successful application, rarer still.  The decision of Mrs Justice Theis, in LR v A Local Authority & Others [2019] EWFC 49 (Fam), in which the court... Read more

Nagalro Press Release raising concern about the role of the Guardian

Nagalro is concerned that Cafcass public statements have disseminated inaccurate information on its website, which appear to dilute the role of the Children’s Guardian and minimise their legal obligations. A number of recent judgments have... Read more

Response to President's Guidance on reporting in Family Courts

Response by Nagalro to the Presiden'ts draft Guidance to reporting in the Family Courts 2 July 2019 Download consultation here Read more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

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How to Interpret and Lawfully apply Cafcass' 'Draft Guidance on the use of Professional Time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

Child Welfare professionals warn of unacceptable risks arising from time managed Cafcass Policies

LEADING CHILD WELFARE PROFESSIONALS WARN OF UNACCEPTABLE RISKS ARISING FROM TIME MANAGED CAFCASS POLICIES For immediate release on 10 April 2018 Nagalro and seventeen other professional bodies and individuals have issued a Joint Position... Read more

Who Guards the Guardians?

Article by Nagalro and ALC published in Family Law

Download full article here 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

Family Justice Review (FJR) endorses Guardian's role but ducks serious failures in current services

Download press release here Read more

President’s landmark judgement re-asserts independence of Children’s Guardians as vital element in protecting children against poor social work practice.

President’s landmark judgement re-asserts independence of Children’s Guardians as vital element in protecting children against poor social work practice. Download press release 4 July 2011 Read more

Justice Committee Report: Cafcass is not child-focused and requires major change

Download press release here 14 July 2011 Read more

Children will pay the price if social workers are excluded from being expert family court witnesses

Download press release here 30 04 2010 Read more

Targets alone will not save children – they need high quality independent professionals who listen

Download press release 07 May 2009 Read more

25 Years of Guardians - Where Next?

Presentation by Judith TImms OBE

Presentation by Judith Timms OBE at Nagalro seminar held at Wells Street Family Court in April 200 Download presentation here Read more

Time for Children - Cafcass Public Law work 2009

Cafcass Public Law Work - a survey of Nagalro members

Cafcass Public Law Work – a Survey of Nagalro Members  In 2009 Nagalro became increasingly concerned about the anxieties expressed by our members who were working for Cafcass, whether employed, bank staff or self-employed contractors, about their... Read more