Cafcass stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.  It was set up in April 2001 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act and bought together family court services which had previously been supplied by the Family Court Welfare Service, the Guardian ad Litem Service and the Children’s Division of the Official Solicitor’s Office.

Cafcass is accountable to the Secretary of State for Education and works within objectives set out by that department whilst contributing to wider government objectives relating to children.

Cafcass is independent of the courts, social services, education and health authorities.  It’s role is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, give advice to the family courts, make provision for children to be represented and provide information, advice or support to children and their families.

Planned reforms for the NHS have been labelled as unclear by health service managers who are concerned that the health of vulnerable children could be put in jeopardy and could, in the worst instance, lead to tragic child protection failures.

With Primary Care Trusts being abolished, responsibility for child health is planned to be divided up amongst four other organisations across a range of geographical tiers.  It is believed that the split has a potential to lead to confusion about who is accountable for the care and safety of children with complex needs.

Jo Webber, Deputy Director of Policy at the NHS Confederaion said that confusion amongst the different organisations had already been at the root of a number of child protection tragedies during recent years.

She continued that there is a deept unease that reforms under the BHS bill would disrupt improvements in safeguarding which have been made recently.

Currently, domestic violence laws only apply to people over 18 years of age.  However, the Government has announced that it is now looking at changing those laws to cover 16 and 17 year olds as well, in order to make more help available to more teenagers who are considered vulnerable and in need of protection.

It is understood that 19,000 women over the age of 18 experience domestic violence each week in the United Kingdom and domestic abuse accounts for 18% of all violent crime in England and Wales.

The job of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is to check whether hospitals, care homes and care services are meeting Government standards by making unannounced inspections and producing written reports on what they find.  The subsequent reports are available for inspection by members of the public as well as Government departments

A former CQC inspector has recently been arrested on suspicion of bribery and money laundering over allegations that she pressurised homes which she was inspecting into giving money in exchange for favourable reports.

The CQC had already sacked the inspector following an internal investigation and went on to inform police.  Police arrested the woman from Northamtponshire yesterday morning.

The CQC said it had a “zero tolerance policy” towards fraudulent or dishonest behaviour and that it expected “extremely high standards” from its inspectors.

Louise Guss, Director of Governance and Legal Services at the CQC, said: “This inspector has failed the organisation, failed the providers who rely on us to act fairly and impartially, and – most importantly – failed in their responsibility to protect people who use services through identification of poor care.

“Unfortunately, in any large workforce there is a risk that a tiny minority may act in a way that betrays the principles of their colleagues and of the organisation as a whole, which is what has happened here.

“Having investigated allegations made to us about this inspector and found these were substantiated, we terminated their employment with immediate effect and referred the matter to the police.”

City of London Police have said that they will be working closely with the CQC to thoroughly investigate the allegations.

An NHS report has suggested that the contraceptive pill should be made available at pharmacies without a GP prescription to girls under 16 years of age.  The report suggests that the scheme could significantly reduce teenage pregnancy rates.  The report also offers the suggestion of widening the service to possibly include girls as young as 13.  Two pilot schemes have already been running in the Isle of Wight and Manchester allowing girls as young as 13 access to the contraceptive pill at pharmacies without the need for a GP prescription.

Concerns have, however, been raised by Dr Trevor Summers of Family & Youth Concern who explained that there is, as yet, no evidence to suggest a reduction in teenage pregnancy rates.  He also believed that there may be a negative impact of child protection issues, as most girls between the ages of 13 and 16 do not necessarily have the skills needed to understand the connotations of consenting to inappropriate relations as well as the possibility of inviting unwanted pressure to enter into such relations from inappropriate sources.

Following an independent report commissioned last year by the Government, recommendations were made to cut red tape and to put children and their families at the centre of the child protection system.  The report was commissioned following a number of notorious failures of social works to safeguard children.

As from May this year, Ofsted have announced that inspections of child protection services are to be unannounced, more intensive and child-focused.  Inspectors will, for the first time, be able to speak directly to children and their families about their experiences with the services.  Inspectors will also be charged with looking at how social work departments are communicating with other bodies ie the police, charities, hospitals and schools.

John Goldup, Deputy Chief Inspector for Ofsted explained that Ofsted wants to ensure that inspectors are more able to judge the impact that the professions working in child protection are working to help and protect children.  There is a plan to double the number of cases examined in order to ensure that there is an in-depth understanding of how well children are being protected.

Children’s Minister, Tim Loughton, has welcomed the planned changes.

Although some of the new system will come into force in May, further reforms to inspections are planned within the next two years.

Further to yesterday’s news that the charity, Action for Children, has called for updates to be applied to the 80 year old chil neglect laws, Shadow Minister for Children and Families Catherine McKinnell has supported the call.  In a statement, she said: “An issue of this seriousness and sheer scale must be a political priority for all parties.

“The Government should take steps to ensure that criminal legislation is fit for the challenges faced today and reflects our improved understanding of the very serious harm neglect causes.

“This is the right time to review the existing criminal law on child neglect.”

In addition to this, comes the response from the Government’s Children’s Minister, Tim Loughton, who said: “Children’s  welfare and protection is paramount.

“The best way to stop abuse and neglect is to intervene early before problems escalate, which is why we’ve made clear that children’s services, police and NHS must target vulnerable families well before children are put at risk.

“We asked Professor Munro to carry out an independent review of child protection last year, and she identified that services are often too reactive.

“We know that if help is given to vulnerable children and families as early as possible, there is more chance of turning lives around and protecting them from harm.”

A report published by the charity, Action for Children, has claimed that the law on child neglect is outdated and confusing.  The laws are now some 80 years old and are felt to be failing to protect children who are suffering neglect and emotional trauma.  According to the report, they are in desperate need of updating.

The report calls for more guidance and support to be available for parents in order to help them understand the law.  In a recent YouGov poll of 1,092 parents, 67% (or 731) parents felt that they did not understand fully the current law on parenting.  The report goes on to advocate the use of support to vulnerable parents rather than using immediate punitive measures.

The Labour Party has announced it’s support for the Government to update the wording of the child neglect laws.

When a baby won’t stop crying, it can be extremely difficult to cope.  It is the only way a baby has to communicate that they are feeling upset or uncomfortable in some way.  Unfortunately though, they are not able to communicate with words and carers can become frustrated.

Below (and in no particular order) are some coping mechanisms which have been published:

1.  Count to 10.  This may give you time to calm down.

2.  Check that the baby doesn’t need feeding or changing or that he is too hot or cold.

3.  Take the baby for a walk or a drive.  This may have the effect of getting them to sleep.

4.  Cuddle the baby.  Sometimes a baby just wants comfort.

5.  Walk out of the room for a short time but do stay close by.

6.  Ask someone you trust to look after your baby for a while so that you can take a break.

7.  In case of a crisis, make use of helplines.

Shaken baby syndrome is the injury caused when a baby is shaken to the point where their head wobbles back and forth rapidly.  A baby does not have the strength to hold their head firmly and the force of the movement causes tears to the blood vessels which connect the brain and the skull.  The shaking can cause damage which cannot be seen and which may be long-lasting and devastating.

You should never shake a baby – even if you think it is only play.