Care application levels plateau after years of rises

Figures from Cafcass show that the volume of care applications made by local authorities fell from 14,599 in 2016/17, to 14,204 in 2017/18 - the first annual fall in more than four years

The 2.7 per cent decline follows rises in excess of 14 per cent in both 2015/16 and 2016/17.

The number of care applications per 10,000 children also fell. In 2016/17 there were 12.5 applications per 10,000 children but this rate has now dropped to 12.2 per 10,000, the first fall since 2013/14 when there were 9.2 applications per 10,000 children.

Despite the declines, the 14,204 care applications made in 2017/18 remains the second highest number on record and is more than double the 6,488 applications made in 2008/09.

Anthony Douglas, chief executive of Cafcass, said that while there had been a slight fall in care applications, he expects current levels to continue for the foreseeable future.

"While public law demand has plateaued in the last two years, after big hikes in 2015 and 2016, it is still at a very high level," he said.

"Cafcass still receives 55 to 60 applications a day, which is in line with the highest ever month in June 2017 (60 a day). Based on short-term trends, the current high levels of demand and demand pressures are expected to continue."

Alison Michalska, ADCS immediate past president, said that although the figures represent the first annual drop in care applications in recent years, there is no way of knowing whether this will form a future trend or is simply a dip.