WALES – Inquiry into the work of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Wales (CAFCASS Cymru)

The National Assembly for Wales’ Children and Young People Committee is undertaking a short inquiry into the work of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in Wales (CAFCASS Cymru).  You will be aware that the Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee undertook an inquiry and follow-up inquiry into CAFCASS in 2009 and 2011.

The Committee will review:

• Progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) inspection of November 2010 and the subsequent organisational restructure of CAFCASS Cymru;
• How effectively CAFCASS Cymru is delivering its services in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) for example user engagement, decision-making in the best interests of the child;
• How effectively CAFCASS Cymru is delivering its role in the provision of child contact centres;
• The implications of the Family Justice Review and its effect on the work of CAFCASS Cymru.

and would welcome your views on any or all of the above points.

The Committee welcomes responses from both individuals and organisations.  If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, please provide a brief description of the role of your organisation.

The Committee welcomes contributions in English or Welsh and will consider responses to the inquiry and hold oral evidence sessions during the autumn term.

If you wish to submit evidence, please send an electronic copy of your submission to CYPCommittee@wales.gov.uk.

Alternatively, you can write to:

Committee Clerk
Children and Young People Committee
National Assembly for Wales
Cardiff Bay
CF99 1NA

I would be grateful if you could ensure that your submission arrives by Friday 9 November 2012.  It may not be possible to take into account responses received after this date.

Disclosure of Information

It is normal practice for the National Assembly to publish evidence provided to a Committee.  Consequently your response may appear in a report or in supplementary evidence to a report.  The National Assembly will not publish information which it considers to be personal data.

In the event of a request for information submitted under UK legislation, it may be necessary to disclose the information that you provide.  This may include information which has previously been removed by the National Assembly for publication purposes.

If you are providing any information, other than personal data, which you feel is not suitable for public disclosure, it is up to you to stipulate which parts should not be published and to provide a reasoned argument to support this.  The National Assembly will take this into account when publishing information or responding to requests for information.