Concerns continue to grow over the rise in the use of deprivation of liberty (DoL) orders, which allow local authorities to place restrictions on vulnerable children’s movements and freedoms.
Earlier this year, the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (NFJO) published analysis showing the number of DoL order applications had risen 462 per cent between 2018 and 2021 (see graphics).
New figures published by the Observatory in November show that for the four-month period from July to October 2022, 459 applications for DoL orders were made. This represents an average monthly rate of 116 applications, more than twice the rate of last year and 11-times that of 2018/19 (see graphics). At the current rate, it seems likely that 2021’s total will be exceeded in the second half of this year alone.
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