The Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (CAFCASS) is still failing the vulnerable children it was set up to serve, despite being told to pull its socks up by Parliament - but the government is equally to blame, MPs heard last week.

Speaking at a debate on the future of the service, Alan Beith - chairman of the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) select committee - said CAFCASS still lacked 'ambition' in the way it should go forward.

He said that attitude existed despite calls in a committee report earlier this year to set more targets (see [2003] Gazette, 24 July, 5).

However, Mr Beith said CAFCASS had also been undermined prior to its transfer to the Department of Education and Skills by the 'complacent' attitude of the DCA, which had made a 'mistake' in neglecting to secure sufficient funding from the Treasury.

Children's minister Margaret Hodge insisted that she was committed to turning CAFCASS into the 'child-centred' body it should be, with speedier allocation of cases.

However, she could not commit to more funding without investigating whether the existing budget was being used in the most effective way.

A CAFCASS spokeswoman said it had laid out clear plans in response to the committee's report and was working stringently to increase the number of guardians available.

Paula Rohan