Emma Busby
Cafcass National Office
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
3rd Floor
21 Bloomsbury Street
London
WC1B 3HF
Your ref: CAF 18-116
Our ref: Gov/CAF 18-116
Tel 0300 456 4000
31 October 2018
Dear Ms Busby,
Re: Freedom of Information Request
Thank you for your email of 22 October 2018. You made the following requests for
information:
1. Your domestic abuse pathway says that you have 10 tools for Family Court
Advisors to use. Please can you provide me with details of all Elearning training
that you provide to your employees on each of the tools referenced within the
Domestic Abuse Pathway.
Cafcass does not have eLearning specifically on the tools referenced in the Domestic
Abuse Pathway which are resources for assessing domestic abuse. Cafcass has an
eLearning module ‘Evidencing Private Law assessment tools’ which includes some
brief guidance on the use of some of the tools referenced in the Domestic Abuse
Pathway.
Cafcass has brief guidance for staff on the use of each tool. These can be seen on
our
website next to the link to each individual tool.
Guidance for the use and choice of tools which are relevant to individual case is also
set out in the Cafcass
Operating Framework section 10.
2. Would you also please provide details of any other Elearning that you provide on
the Domestic Abuse Pathway.
Cafcass does not have eLearning on the Domestic Abuse Pathway. Training on the
pathway was rolled out across Cafcass from January 2017, in the form of a
presentation cal ed ‘Contemporary practice in domestic abuse assessment.”
Edward Timpson CBE Chair
Anthony Douglas CBE Chief Executive
Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, is a non-departmental body of the Ministry of Justice
Cafcass National Office, 3rd Floor, 21 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3HF
The main training we provide on domestic abuse, is included in our Risk and Harm
induction training. This training aims to help ensure practitioners:
• understand Cafcass’ legal responsibilities regarding the assessment of risk and harm
• understand the key requirements of Cafcass’
Child Protection Policy and
Operating
Framework regarding risk identification and risk assessment.
• understand what
risk assessment tools are available and when to use them
• apply Cafcass’ expectations regarding risk identification and risk assessment to case
planning, assessment and analysis in public and private law cases.
• be able to use assessment tools correctly and with confidence
Risk and Harm training includes two required eLearning modules to be completed prior
to the training day: ‘Risk and Harm in Cafcass’ and ‘Risk and Harm Domestic Abuse
elearning’.
Core training of Legal Context and Court Skills includes also information on domestic
violence and the law. Cafcass also provides a knowledge bite ‘Post Separation Control:
impact on a child’.
A range of additional training and courses are available to Cafcass staff. These include:
•
Child Protection and Decision Making: in depth training over three days in relation to
evidence-based assessments, applying a safeguarding assessment and analysis
framework and constructing core and specialist assessments for court.
•
Attachment and Parenting Capacity •
16.4 Private Law: a number of High Conflict Private Law disputes become 16.4 cases
where a guardian is appointed to represent a child in proceedings. This course looks at
some of these issues.
•
Defensible Decision Making: explores how to evidence critical decisions in casework
•
Developing Private Law Practice Skills: all private law staff received this training after
the introduction of the Child Arrangement Programme. It explores practitioner
intervention skills to support the achievement of safe and child centred arrangements in
private law proceedings.
•
Legal Roadshow: this looks at different family law topics each year
•
Knowledge Bites: these are short updates in relation to a range of topics with up to date
reference lists. These include:
•
Emotional Harm: understanding the possible implications of sustained parental
conflict on children.
•
Contact in Private Law Proceedings: the messages from research and key
practice considerations.
Cafcass is a learning organisation and further to training, there are learning and
development opportunities through monthly ‘Learning and Development Bul etins’
which highlight available learning; ‘knowledge alerts’ shared when new practices are
in place; ‘development days’ for teams on relevant topics; and the eLearning and the
Edward Timpson CBE Chair
Anthony Douglas CBE Chief Executive
Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, is a non-departmental body of the Ministry of Justice
Cafcass National Office, 3rd Floor, 21 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3HF
Cafcass Library which are able to provide up to date information on requested areas
such as domestic abuse and its effects on children.
3. And could you also provide the numbers of employees that have completed each
Elearning training last year and this year. I would really like this data by year and
by service area.
Cafcass does not have any eLearning on the Domestic Abuse Pathway or eLearning
specifically on the tools referenced in the Domestic Abuse Pathway.
4. Could you also supply copies of each eLearning course please and let me know
who developed them and when they developed them for you
Please see the answer to question three.
Cafcass eLearning is developed by Cafcass’ National Improvement Service.
We hope that you feel your question has been answered effectively. 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
(https://ico.org.uk/):
Post
Fax
Information Commissioner's Office
01625 524 510
Wycliffe House, Water Lane,
Tel
Wilmslow,
0303 123 1113
Cheshire
E-mail
SK9 5AF
xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx
Yours sincerely,
Governance Team
Cafcass
xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Edward Timpson CBE Chair
Anthony Douglas CBE Chief Executive
Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, is a non-departmental body of the Ministry of Justice
Cafcass National Office, 3rd Floor, 21 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3HF
Edward Timpson CBE Chair
Anthony Douglas CBE Chief Executive
Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, is a non-departmental body of the Ministry of Justice
Cafcass National Office, 3rd Floor, 21 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3HF