CAFCASS

Following negotiations between CAFCASS and the guardians representative body, NAGALRO (after CAFCASS’s proposals had been successfully challenged by judicial review) guardians are now being offered a choice of either employed or self-employed contracts. Guardians who have accepted an offer of employment may continue to be employed or, alternatively, can revert to self-employed status by signing the new self-employed contract. Equally guardians who are self-employed can accept a contract from April 2002 for the number of hours they have been working, sign a new contract to cover all work done after April; make a split decision to accept the new contract for new cases after April but be paid for current cases under old arrangements, or decline an offer of a contract for new work but continue with current cases until they end under the old payment arrangements.