Cafcass publish latest Annual Report and Accounts

Cafcass’ Annual Report and Accounts for 2019-20 provides a summary to Parliament and the public on their activity for the financial year, including their work, their aspirations and their performance.

Cafcass said:

“Our Annual Report and Accounts for 2019-20 are now available here. They provide a summary to Parliament and the public on our activity for the financial year, including our work, our aspirations and our performance.

“Our Annual Report and Accounts are normally published in the summer months following year end; however our pension audit took longer this year and we therefore have waited for this to be complete before publishing.

“The year 2019-20 was characterised not just by our own internal organisational changes, but also by unrelenting record demand for our services and the start of a once in a lifetime crisis – the global pandemic that is Covid–19. Each of these pressures presented opportunity in addition to challenge, but common to them all has been the need for us to prioritise and focus on both our vision and our purpose:

‘For every child whose future is decided by the family courts, we provide a service that prioritises their safety, their voices and their needs, taking full account of their families and those connected to them.’

“The report sets out the development of our refreshed strategic plan, a three-year strategy which has required us to give strong thought and leadership about where we can make the most and the best difference to the children and families we serve.

“A version of the Annual Report and Accounts for children to read is available here, thanks must be given to the Family Justice Young People’s Board who helped with both the design and content of this report.

Cafcass’ Chief Executive, Jacky Tiotto said:

“The Annual Report and Accounts for 2019-20 sets out the challenging environment we have been working in both prior to the pandemic and since the pandemic hit in March this year. I hope it gives some account of the incredible and positive difference that has been made to the 141,000 children and their families involved in court proceedings.

“This is the first Annual Report and Accounts that I have overseen since joining Cafcass in September 2019, and I’m extremely proud of the story it tells, simultaneously acknowledging challenges and highlighting much of the good work that has been achieved. Since it concluded only part way through this enduring crisis, there is so much more we can and will say publicly over the next few months.

“I’m grateful for all of the input into the report from departments across the organisation and from the Family Justice Young People’s Board. The Board played an integral part in the report and helped us to design a more accessible version which we hope brings our work closer to children and young people. Thank you.”

Read the full report here.