CAFCASS use of Self Employed & Agency Staff

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within the next five working days.

If you have a case with Cafcass and want to discuss this with someone,
please contact your local office. Contact details can be found by clicking
[1]here.

If you are a child or young person and urgently need help or to talk to
someone, please call Childline free on 0800 1111.

If you are worried about a child then please either call the NSPCC
helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local authority's children's services
department. Contact details for local authority's can be found by clicking
[2]here. In an emergency please contact the police.

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Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/system_page/co...
2. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters...

Dear Mr Hoyle,

Re: Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your email received on 18 April 2011 requesting the
following information:

1. What was the range of fees paid to recruitment agencies for social
workers undertaking Family Court Advisor work for Cafcass during the
period January-April 2011? Please provide the range from lowest hourly
rate to the highest hourly rate paid by Cafcass to the
agency/agencies. Please include agency fees paid to staff both in and
outside of London.

2. How many staff from recruitment agencies were being used by Cafcass
and were holding live cases during March 2011?

3. How many Cafcass Self Employed Contractors were holding live cases
during March 2011? What was the average caseload of these Self
Employed Contractors?

This letter serves to acknowledge that your request was received by
Cafcass on 18 April 2011 and the Cafcass Governance Team will be dealing
with your questions under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

Your reference number is CAF445.

Under the Act, Cafcass is required to notify you as to the final decision
made regarding your request 20 working days from receipt of your request.
Taking into consideration the Cafcass office closures over Easter, you
will receive a response on or before 20 May 2011.

Goverance Team
Cafcass

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Dear Mr Hoyle,

Re: Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your email received on 18 April 2011 requesting the
following information:

1.         What was the range of fees paid to recruitment agencies
for social workers undertaking Family Court Advisor work for Cafcass
during the period January-April 2011? Please provide the range from lowest
hourly rate to the highest hourly rate paid by Cafcass to the
agency/agencies. Please include agency fees paid to staff both in and
outside of London.

2.         How many staff from recruitment agencies were being
used by Cafcass and were holding live cases during March 2011?

3.         How many Cafcass Self Employed Contractors were holding
live cases during March 2011? What was the average caseload of these Self
Employed Contractors?

Please see below:

1.         What was the range of fees paid to recruitment agencies
for social workers undertaking Family Court Advisor work for Cafcass
during the period January-April 2011? Please provide the range from lowest
hourly rate to the highest hourly rate paid by Cafcass to the
agency/agencies. Please include agency fees paid to staff both in and
outside of London.

The range  of hourly rate paid is £28.93-£35.00.

2.         How many staff from recruitment agencies were being
used by Cafcass and were holding live cases during March 2011?

3.         How many Cafcass Self Employed Contractors were holding
live cases during March 2011? What was the average caseload of these Self
Employed Contractors?

Case data for 31 March 2011 is not available.  At the end of 13th April
2011, there were 220 self employed contractors with a caseload which
included active cases. On average, they were holding 8.2 active public and
private law cases. On the same day there were 206 agency staff with a live
caseload.

Inactive cases are those where the need for active work has ended and the
cases are awaiting closure on the Cafcass Case Management System (CMS).

For private law cases, these inactive cases comprise those where either
all safeguarding checks have been received and there are no outstanding
hearings or those where cases have gone past the first hearing, but where
no further Cafcass work/reports have been requested, and where all reports
have been filed.

For public law cases, inactive cases comprise those which have gone past
the final hearing date, those where the final court outcome has been
entered into CMS and is more than 4 weeks since the final hearing date.

If you are unhappy with the decisions made in relation to your request,
you may ask for an internal review to be undertaken.  If you are
dissatisfied with the way the internal review is handled or with the final
decision made at that review about the information released, you are free
to contact the Information Commissioner’s office
([1]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk)

Post
                                                                                     
            Fax
Information Commissioner's
Office                                    
01625 524 510
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,

Governance Team

Cafcass

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