---

Children and Adoption Bill [HL]

My Lords, I should probably have said all that I am going to say when I spoke about mediation. I have a great deal of sympathy with the noble Baroness’s amendment, but I have concerns that I need to express. I am speaking as a practitioner, rather than as the deputy chair of CAFCASS, so this is a personal view. I am deeply concerned that when we are having discussions about mediation, we do not become locked in a series of activities that will be of no help to many families. The phrase ““dispute resolution”” is much better, and many of the families that we deal with understand the kind of intervention where someone is trying to talk with them round a table in a different way. I sat on the Select Committee and listened to associations dealing with mediation and the problem is that they are talking about a passive, non-interventionist type of mediation that will be very unhelpful to many of the families that cross the thresholds of the court and CAFCASS. I also want to express some anxiety about the way we move forward. It might be appropriate for me to do so here and on the record. At the moment, CAFCASS is engaged in a number of new programmes. We have cases being dealt with by dispute resolution and the number needs to be increased nationally because we are having enormous success. That is what is reflected in the Napo document. When we intervene, we are successful. We know that casework works. Mediation may not, but casework works in Staffordshire, Colchester, Leeds, Norfolk and many other places. I am anxious that the work is split between two major departments: DfES and DCA. With £7 million on the table and CAFCASS resources as they are, I make the point to the Minister that we are doing a great deal of work on a very under resourced budget. I had to make that point at this moment.