Cafcass and the Great Quango Cull

House of Commons did not have the information requested.

Dear House of Commons,

There have been heated discussions in Parliament in September and October 2010 about the proposed axing of more than a hundred non-elected quangos in order to save taxpayers' money which has been wasted by these bodies with no palpable benefit to the public.

One of these quangos is the so-called Children and Family Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass). Could you please let me know when the abolition of this incompetent, wasteful body is due to be implemented and what the coaltion government's plans are to replace it (since I understand MPs still feel a need to impose paid public servants on children instead of allowing children to speak for themselves). Is Cafcass going to be axed only to be resurrected from the dead under a different name shortly afterwards and when is this mock abolition going to take place?

Thank you for your answer.

************************************************************

Daily Mail 11/11/10 by Steve Doughty (Social Affairs Correspondent):

"The organisation of social workers that is supposed to stand up for the most troubled children has instead brought chaos to the family courts, MPs said yesterday.
Its staff do not do their jobs, its managers are weak and it has failed to cope with the crisis that swept the state child protection system after the Baby P scandal, they added. A report from the Public Accounts Committee watchdog said the £131 million-a-year Children and Family Court Advisory Service is 'not fit for purpose' and that its incompetence harms the hundreds of thousands of children who need its help.
The MPs' report said that after the Baby P case in November 2008 - in which 17-month-old Peter Donnelly's mother and two men were jailed over his death - social workers started taking more children into care.
But committee chairman, former Labour minister Margaret Hodge, said the group had a 'lack of readiness' due to 'failure to get to grips with ... weaknesses in its culture, management and performance'.
Cafcass chief executive Anthony Douglas rejected the claims. The quango was set up in 2001 during children's services reforms."

************************************************************

Yours faithfully,

C. Smith-Byrne

FOICOMMONS, House of Commons

Dear C Smith-Byrne

Thank you for your request for information which is copied below.

We can confirm that the information you require is not held by the House of Commons.

You can contact CAFCASS directly at http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/system_page/fr...

You may, if dissatisfied with the treatment of your request, ask the House of Commons to conduct an internal review of this decision. Requests for internal review should be addressed to: Freedom of Information Officer, Department of Resources, House of Commons London SW1A OAA or [House of Commons request email]. Please ensure that you specify the nature of your complaint and any arguments or points that you wish to make.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Bob Castle

Head of Information Rights and Information Security
House of Commons

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Castle,

This is a very original response. Do you seriously want to tell me that the House of Commons does not have the roughest idea if (and when) proposed legislation is going to be debated and implemented by taxpayer-funded Members of Parliament? In other words: Can we anticipate another year of wasting £131,000,000 on an unelected, dangerous, incompetent quango because the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing?

I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

C. Smith-Byrne

FOICOMMONS, House of Commons

Dear C Smith-Byrne

You asked for recorded information held by the House of Commons about when the abolition of CAFCASS is due to be implemented and what the coalition government's plans are to replace it. The House of Commons does not hold this information. These questions relate to the formulation and implementation of government policy and might be better directed to the government itself. In addition to the link already provided you might address your question to the Cabinet Office (http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/...).
I am sorry that I could not assist further.
Your sincerely

Bob Castle
Head of Information Rights and Information Security
House of Commons

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Castle,

Thank you for your further reply and for providing addresses I can send my request to.

Yours sincerely,

C. Smith-Byrne