Crown prosecutors have this week slated plans for lay caseworkers to play a larger role in tackling magistrates' court cases.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) proposes that designated caseworkers (DCWs) should be able to appear in bail applications and have a role in routine case management hearings at magistrates' courts.


DCWs had their role extended only last year, when they were allowed to handle non-contentious work at magistrates' courts, such as early administrative hearings, and cases after a guilty plea where the court had ordered a pre-sentence report.


But prosecutors have pointed out that DCWs only get minimal training, being assessed after a three-day course compared to at least three years of post-graduate training experienced by lawyers in the field. Prosecutors union the First Division Association argued that the government was on a mission to cut costs without regard to clients, and asked where the situation would end.


Kris Venkatasami, FDA national convenor, said the plans, combined with cuts to legal aid, signified the erosion of clients' rights. He pointed out that some 80% of cases begin and end in the magistrates' courts, and warned: 'It is only a matter of time before people start saying: "If the prosecution start having lay presenters, what about the defence?"' He added that the rise of DCWs was excluding young barristers and solicitors from vital court-based advocacy training.


DCW representative body, the Public & Commercial Services union, added that the proposals could be at risk because although its members had helped to save £8 million a year, they would not be rewarded for the extra responsibilities. '[We] fear that such short-sightedness could damage long-term plans for further deployment,' a spokesman warned.


A CPS spokeswoman said: 'As part of the review process, there has been consultation with the trade unions, including the FDA, and with practitioners across the CPS, as well as DCWs themselves. The views expressed are now being considered and we will be responding to matters raised by the FDA, in the light of the overall need for the service to make the most effective use of its lay advocates and, as a result, its skilled lawyers.'