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UK Parliament

Support Service and Local Authority Leaders Quizzed by Peers

16 July 2012

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The Lords Select Committee on Adoption Legislation will be hearing from representatives from the Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) about the adoption process at 10.15am on Tuesday 17 July, as part of its inquiry into Adoption Legislation.

The Committee will be hearing from:

  • Anthony Douglas CBE, Chief Executive; and
  • Bruce Clark, Director of Policy, CAFCASS.

Following on, at 11.15am, the Committee will be speaking to:

  • Councillor David Simmonds (Conservative), Chairman of the LGA Children and Young People Board and LGA Leadership Board, London Borough of Hillingdon;
  • Councillor Rita Krishna (Labour), Lead Member for Children’s Services in the London Borough of Hackney and Member of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board; and
  • Councillor Nicola Greene (Conservative), Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Education and Children’s Services, Bournemouth Borough Council.

The Committee will question the witnesses on a number of issues, likely to include:

  • a possible mutual lack of trust between local authority social workers, CAFCASS officers and the courts;
  • the length of time it currently takes for children to be placed for adoption;
  • whether children are being adequately represented by their guardians in care and adoption proceedings;
  • whether voluntary adoption agencies could play a greater role in providing adoption services;
  • if the current performance monitoring system by local authority adoption agencies is robust enough; and
  • whether cuts in public spending have affected adoption services, including post-adoption services.

The evidence session will take place on Tuesday 17 July at 10.15am in Committee Room 3A.