HM Inspectorate of Court Administration
From SR
History
HM Inspectorate of Court Administration (HMICA) has a duty, under the Courts Act 2003, to inspect the systems that support the Crown, county and magistrates' courts in England and Wales.
The Courts Act (2003) made provision for the setting up of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Court Administration (HMICA) in April 2005.
Roles
HMICA may, by invitation, inspect the courts in Northern Ireland. HMICA also works with other criminal justice inspectorates. HMICA's former responsibilities for the inspection of CAFCASS have been transferred to Ofsted.
HMICA's remit is to:
- Inspect and report to the Lord Chancellor on the system that supports the carrying on of the business of the Crown, county and magistrates' courts and the services provided for those courts
- Discharge any other particular functions which may be specified in connection with the above courts functions or related functions of any other person.
All inspection activity will exclude "persons making judicial decisions or exercising any judicial discretion".
In line with government policy, HMICA inspection activity will:
- be independent of the service providers
- provide assurance to Ministers and the public about the safe and proper delivery of these services
- contribute to improvement of those services
- report in public
- deliver value for money
In order to inspect court administration not subject to review by other bodies, the Inspectorate has identified the following key areas for inspection:
- Promoting Diversity - working arrangements ensure diversity is promoted and achieved
- Public Governance and Accountability - the actions and activities of Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) are transparent, responsible, accountable and fair
- Leadership and Strategic Management - key strategic issues are identified and effective action plans are implemented and evaluated
- Finance - funds are used cost effectively
- People - a diverse workforce cost effectively delivers appropriate services for all court users
- Buildings, IT and Equipment - these cost effectively meet the needs of all court users
- Court Administrative Processes - these support the business of the courts and deliver appropriate services for all court users
- Enforcement - prompt and effective actions ensure compliance with orders of the court
- Quality of Service - high quality services are provided for all court users.
Other HMICA work
- Joint Criminal Justice System Inspections - with other inspectorates (of Constabulary, Crown Prosecution Service, Prisons and Probation - sometimes other organisations, such as Victim Support)
- Thematic Reviews - these focus on a particular theme across HMCS in order to establish the current performance and identify examples of good practice. In the past, these have included: fine enforcement, custody arrangements, race issues and the use of interpreters.
- Advice - the Inspectorate offers advice to the Department for Constitutional Affairs and HMCS on issues which arise from inspections and thematic reviews as well as to other professional bodies and organisations.
- Participation - the Inspectorate meets requests for participation in appropriate professional events whenever possible, for example: speaking engagements and contributing to training events for staff within HMCS.
