A new children's guardian services which represents youngsters in care or adoption court proceedingss appears to be in an impending state of disarray in the south east, according to a report in The Guardian.

The new service, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), was launched in April to replace the guardian ad litem service.

Courts appoint independent guardians for children in care and adoption cases to act as advocates for the children themselves.

But the The Guardian reported that self-employed guardians in south east may quit the service after a Cafcass decision to withdraw its promise of self-employment and offer only the choice of salaried employment or leaving the service.

The 750 self-employed guardians in London and the south east have until July 27 to decide but a straw poll at an action meeting suggested that half may not sign the new contract.

One guardian told the paper: "The London service will capsize shortly after 1 August. In London and the south east the rates of pay are such that people will not stay in the service."

If the guardians do not sign up to the new contracts, it could have serious implications in ensuring that children's views are heard before courts make far-reaching decisions about their futures.

One guardian warned that self-employed guardians may be forced to drop cases at the end of the month which could cause a backlog of 500 cases over the summer.

Cafcass insist that self-employed contracts are not in the agency's long-term best interests and says they have contingency plans to recruitment new guardians on salaried contracts.