Legal Services says it will not fund Independent Social Workers

Jordan’s family law Newswatch have this story, which represents the current position of the Legal Services Commission.

Judges are right to be seeking to reduce delay in contact and residence cases as the delay damages the child’s relationship  with the parent that they aren’t getting to see. Judge’s are only experts in law, so they cant be expected to provide the analysis that up until then has been provided by someone with a crap degree or a diploma who got fed up working in a factory and went into social care a supposed expert in child care.

In reality the position taken by LSC is unsustainable in the medium to long term and is likely a cry for more money or a tweak to either legislation or convention/protocols. Likely to be be met with some sympathy by government.

I hate to break it to all our readers but ISW’s do not give good value for public monies in these circumstances and this should not become the norm.  One danger is that they become more ‘dependent’ and less ‘independent’ when carrying out their job of interviewing and reporting and the confirmation bias of their paymasters begins to show. Mini-me hired guns are still hired guns!

What is ironic about this story is that given the number of CAFCASS reporters who are self employed some of them will find richer pickings by working purely in the commercial sector, thus reducing the ability of CAFCASS to ASS-ist!