Why do you want to lead Cafcass?
I am deeply interested in the role and responsibilities that the state has in supporting family life and protecting children. Cafcass is involved with children, their families and carers at a very difficult time in their lives, whether that is in private or public law proceedings. The quality of social work at that point is really important and life changing. I want to make sure that the decisions we make about children’s futures are clearly reasoned and the very best they can be. I also think as a large social worker employer we are well placed to engage with children, parents, carers, the family courts, local authorities and government about where the balance lies between the safety of children and the right to a private family life.
What do you think your past experience brings?
I hope it is balance and perspective. I started my career in local authority social work, then spent 10 years in central government, Ofsted and other advisory roles before going back into local authority practice. I feel able to think in the round about both national policy and its impact on local practice and local communities. I hope I bring a sense of reality and balance about policy bottom lines and their impact on both the people working directly at the frontline and the families and children themselves.
Cafcass was ranked ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors in 2018 – what challenges does that present?
This well-deserved judgment was the result of a great collaboration between our practitioners, managers and leaders, as well as lots of hard work. Sustaining our effectiveness is equally difficult especially at a time of unrelenting and rising demand in the family justice system. We have been looking at the research and evidence about how children’s organisations remain effective and this requires us to look at our leadership, our willingness to seek out and listen to feedback and to learn and change in response to what we hear.
What are your priorities?
I am committed to strengthening our practice framework, which is due to be implemented next April. The framework, part of our strategic plan, is about being respectful of the families and children we work with and recognising the importance of the relationships we have together – regardless of how difficult their circumstances are. It will be developed by our entire workforce and will push us harder to understand the experiences of children and the feedback they and their families give to us.
What kind of leader are you?
I am trying to create a working environment that helps and excites people to do their best work. I would like the quality of our practice and operations to improve because the people who are doing it feel safe, inspired and part of a collaborative team. We are committed to having a “practice-led” culture, where everyone welcomes a balance of professional autonomy with high levels of accountability. We are striving, as leaders, to show that we can help practitioners to exercise balanced thinking about the principles of the Children Act 1989 in both private and public law. That means making decisions that are in the best interests of children and keeping their experiences absolutely central to our recommendations.
How important to you is the National Improvement Service (NIS), which is responsible for promoting quality practice?
It has a significant part to play. The team are assessing the quality of our work all the time, stimulating improvement but they’re also very important in terms of our commitment to innovative and creative practice.
What role will NIS have in the family forum you are keen to establish?
We want to invite a range of people to work alongside us, including those who have had an experience with Cafcass that they think didn’t go well, along with people who feel we have made a positive difference. Our hope is to use these colleagues and family members to lead restorative discussions that put things right and also help us to learn and improve.
Do you think the role and importance of family is undervalued by others?
The number of families in difficulty, facing separation and divorce, looks as though it is increasing – certainly more are turning to the family courts. There needs to be a professional and national conversation about the role and importance of the family in this country now. We see 135,000 children a year and while some of those are the same children, largely they are new to us. The cumulative impact on children of so much conflict between adult parents and carers has to be part of that conversation, as does the part that the state plays in supporting resolution and change.
Why do you want to strengthen the profile of Cafcass?
We have 1,400 children’s social workers – double or quadruple the size of many local authorities. The demands of private law are placing the family justice system under real pressure and neither we nor the family courts can continue under the strain, which shows no sign of reducing. There is a consensus between us, the courts, the government and local authorities that something in the system has to change. We are now having conversations as partners about reform and improvement that weren’t happening five years ago. It feels like a very fertile practice and policy moment. I hope there is a Cafcass footprint on the reforms that ultimately focuses all of us on children as the most important individuals in the process of resolution.
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