No fooling as Criminal Defence Service and CAFCASS lead 1 April shake-up

April fools day ushered in a range of government initiatives mostly under the Access to Justice Act 1999 creating new criminal defence and child support services, and giving the judiciary a formidable spring clean.

After months of negotiations over the criminal contract, the Criminal Defence Service was born.

Replacing the criminal legal aid scheme, the CDS oversees the six pilot public defenders.

A new advisory body for courts on child welfare matters the Child and Family Court Advisory & Support Service (CAFCASS) replaces work formerly done by the probation services court welfare officers, advisers from the Official Solicitors department and guardians ad litem.

In the field of mental disability, the Public Guardianship Office replaces the Public Trust Office.

It has a narrower remit, protecting financial interests, receiverships and enduring powers of attorney.

Magistrates do not escape the new broom.

Justices committees take responsibility from the police for executing warrants against those defaulting on court fines, and breaching community sentences.A Greater London Magistrates Court Authority replaces the capitals 22 magistrates courts committees.Justices clerks hand responsibility for administrative and accounting jobs to justices chief executives.

Magistrates are now also immune from liability to pay costs; costs awards made against them will in future be made against the Lord Chancellor, and met centrally.

The judicial map is changing physically too: from 21 April the Midland and Oxford judicial circuit will become the Midland circuit.

Peterborough Combined Court, Huntingdon County Court, Oxford Combined Court and Banbury County Court will all move to the South-Eastern Circuit from the Midland Circuit; and Grimsby Combined Court and Scunthorpe County Court move to the North-Eastern circuit from the Midland circuit.

See editorial page 14Jeremy Fleming