Court Welfare Officers (CWOs) produce reports for court cases under the Children Act 1989 (CA89). The reports are intended to present impartial objective evidence regarding the principles of CA89 Part I Section 1(1) i.e. of the children’s welfare.

A major professional body of CWOs is the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO). NAPO’s ‘Anti-sexism’ policy [2] addresses the interests of women, and not those of men, and more importantly, nor of children. The policy clearly violates the CA89 principles, and so subverts the principles Parliament intended should be applied, and also those the public expect.

The NAPO policy is stated by NAPO [3] as not available for wide public distribution, and so the policy will apply principles to the individual’s case which are not to be known to the public.

The discrimination against men in family law, including that endemic in the Court Welfare Service, under ‘women’s rights’, is now well documented in our report The Emperor’s New Clothes [1], and the truth of the claims made is demonstrated by the content of the NAPO policy.

The Cheltenham Group have made submissions to eight responsible authorities, asking them to address this issue with a view to instigating some remedies. The authorities are :

HM Inspectorate of Probation (HMiP), who referred the matter to :

the Home Office, Probation Unit (HOPU);

the Lord Chancellor’s Dept (LC’s Dept), who also referred the matter to HOPU;

the Law Society (LS);

the General Council of the Bar (BC), who referred the matter to :

the Family Law Bar Association (FLBA);

the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), who have requested a meeting with :

the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO).

Not one of these bodies has accepted any responsibility for the effects of the policy, either for the correct interpretation of the law, for the subversion of Parliament’s principles, for the behaviour of their members with respect to this issue, or for the serious damage occurring to innocent individuals.

The CWOs within the family law system in the UK operate with a set of principles which are contrary to statutory provision and the concepts of natural justice, and not known to the public whose lives are affected by the policy.

Furthermore there appears to be no way of remedying the situation at present and means of doing so urgently needs to be sought.