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Subscribe TodayThe chief executive of Cafcass is to step down from his role next March, it has emerged.
Anthony Douglas, who has been head of the organisation for the past 15 years, will leave the post in March, a year after the organisation was rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in March 2018.
Ofsted praised the Childen and Family Court Advisory and Support Service for its continuous improvement against a backdrop of rising demand. There has been a 25.9% rise in care applications between 2014-15 and 2017-18 equating to 11,472 more cases.
Cafcass went from an ‘inadequate’ judgement from Ofsted in 2009 and one that the Public Accounts Committee said was ‘not fit for purpose’ in 2010, to an Ofsted judgement of ‘Good’ in 2014 and ‘Outstanding’ in 2018.
Anthony Douglas said: “My job at Cafcass has been a privilege and our task now, after achieving ‘outstanding’ in our recent Ofsted inspection, is to take our service to children to the next level.
“I will continue to give my all until my last day and look forward to helping our next CEO get up and running when the time comes,” he added.
Former Minister of State for Vulnerable Children and Families at the Department for Education Edward Timpson became Cafcass chair in April taking over from Baroness Tyler of Enfield whose six-year tenure ended.
Government launches tackling violence against women and girls strategy
A new government strategy to ensure women and girls are safe everywhere has been launched by Home Secretary Priti Patel.
The strategy sets out a clear ambition to increase support for victims and survivors, increase the number of perpetrators brought to justice and to reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls in the [...]
Spending on early help services halves in decade
Spending on early intervention for services has halved over the last 10 years, charities have warned.
Between 2010 and 2020, local authorities in England reduced spending on early intervention services from £3.6bn to £1.8bn, analysis of council budgets by a group of leading children’s charities has revealed.
The most deprived local authorities in the UK reduced early [...]
Cafcass introduces revised working arrangements following rise in private law cases
Cafcass has introduced some revised arrangements for managing unsustainable caseloads.
The process has been implemented in the Cafcass areas covering Birmingham, the Black Country, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Herefordshire family courts due to unsustainable pressures on the family justice system in the area.
Cafcass Chief Executive, Jacky Tiotto said: “I have said publicly before that any [...]
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