CAFCASS Staff Join KWI
Last updated: 14/12/2006 - 10:43
The extension of key worker status to further sector workers brings new benefits to CAFCASS staff.
The Key Worker Living programme – already available to certain groups of public sector employees delivering ‘essential’ public services in London, the South East and the East of England has been extended to include staff from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)
Welcoming the announcement of this extension of the programme CAFCASS Chief Executive, Anthony Douglas, said: “It is fantastic news that CAFCASS practitioners will now be eligible for Key Worker support. Our staff in London, the South and the East of England deliver a vital public service and yet many struggle to afford a decent home. We hope the scheme will be an attractive addition to our strategy for recruiting and retaining the best people to work with the capital’s children”.
The key worker scheme applies to NHS clinical staff, social workers, teachers, police officers and nursery nurses and was extended (in April 2006) to include: Police community support officers; uniformed staff in Fire and Rescue Services; Prison and probation service staff; occupational therapists, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and qualified nursery nurses; local authority employed clinical staff and local authority planners.
The hope is that key worker status for CAFCASS social workers will help to recruit and retain skilled staff for London, as the scheme has benefited other parts of the sector in the same way.
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - CAFCASS - was formed as a new service for England and Wales in April 2001 – as part of the Government’s commitment to supporting families and children. It brings together the services previously provided by the Family Court Welfare Service, the Guardian and Litem Services and the Children’s Division of the Official Solicitor.
A Non-Departmental Public Body CAFCASS is independent of the courts, social services, education and health authorities and all similar agencies and is sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills. The operation of CAFCASS in Wales has devolved to the National Assembly for Wales and is now CAFCASS Cymru.
Follow this link for more information about the work of The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)
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