Ian Lawrence, General Secretary, and Nicola Taylor-Ebong, National Vice Chair (Cafcass) met with Jacky Tiotto and members of the Senior Management Team last week. They made robust representations to the SLT about the concerns raised by our members in relation to what had been perceived as Cafcass' enthusiastic messaging in relation to seeing children and young people which they reported was causing anxiety among our members that their health and safety was not being prioritised by their employer.
During the conversation Napo further expressed our view that this messaging did not account for the position of staff with known vulnerabilities or for those who were caring/living with those who had known vulnerabilities, and that it undermined and seriously impacted upon the Cafcass risk assessment process. We have now had a formal reply to the letter that we had sent before the meeting which articulated these concerns. In this the Chief Executive expresses her appreciation for the constructive nature of the exchanges and reiterates the absolute commitment by the employer to the safety and wellbeing of staff.
In a further positive move, we have agreed to issue a joint communication to reflect the foregoing and we hope to progress this as soon as possible.
New Guidance on Working with Children
Since our meeting with Jacky Tiotto, Cafcass has published its revised guidance on Working with Children during Covd-19. Napo and UNISON have had input into this, and we would urge all our members to read it if they have not already done so. It is extremely concerning to note the recognition of unprecedented volumes of open active casework in Cafcass' history which is referenced in this guidance. As you would expect, Napo will continue to make robust representations and demand action on the workload crisis. The guidance accepts that the decision whether to meet with a child in person or remotely will depend on their particular circumstances, preferences of the family and professional judgement which will have to be balanced within the overall commitments of a practitioner's caseload. The guidance further states that: "it is especially important during the Covid-19 crisis, that our decisions about in person work are clear, understandable, reasonable, and address any known risks to children's safety and welfare as well as taking full account of your own wellbeing and safety".
We urge all of our members to follow this guidance, especially if they fall into one of the vulnerable categories. As advised in the guidance if you have concerns around your individual circumstances, particularly if you are caring for or living with those who have known vulnerabilities, we would encourage you to discuss this with your line manager.