Top family judge to give evidence to the Lords Children and Families Act Committee
Monday 27 June 2022
Later today the House of Lords Select Committee on the Children and Families Act 2014 will take evidence on the three ‘pillars’ of the family justice system – the courts, Cafcass and children’s’ services.
This is part of the Committee’s inquiry examining whether the Children and Families Act 2014 is fit for purpose.
This evidence session, which is open to the public, will be held in Committee Room 3 and streamed live on Parliament TV.
At 3.15pm the committee will hear from:
- Sir Andrew McFarlane, President, Family Division
- Jacky Tiotto, Chief Executive, CAFCASS
- Steve Crocker OBE, President, Association of Directors of Children’s Services.
Questions the committee is likely to cover in this session include:
- What aspects of the adoption and family justice sections of the Act were you concerned about when it was passed? Have those concerns been borne out since?
- What is needed to ensure the family justice system operates as a cohesive and easy-to-navigate system?
- Is the 26-week timeframe in care cases important and achievable? What is being done to improve adherence to 26-weeks across England and Wales?
- How can we ensure fewer care cases escalate to the point of needing court intervention?
- How has the presumption of the involvement of both parents in the life of the child after family separation affected proceedings? Should the presumption be changed?
- How do we ensure that the right private law cases are in court, and the right cases are being resolved by alternative means?
• What impact have Mediation Information & Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) had? - Is the voice of the child sufficiently heard in the family justice system?
