Children's guardians report rise in late care cases

Research by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) found 39 per cent of care applications submitted to family courts between 11 and 29 November 2013 were, in the opinion children’s guardians, made too late.

A previous study by Cafcass in 2012, found guardians considered 26 per cent of applications to be late.

The latest study also found 54 per cent of cases were considered to be “appropriate” in their timing and five per cent made too early.

The study covered 391 care applications – two-thirds of all cases in England over the three-week period measured – relating to 684 children, and gathered the views of 304 guardians through an online survey carried out in early 2014.

Delays in making care applications could indicate that local authorities are intervening later, which could potentially expose a child to greater risk.

Cafcass points out that the period covered by the study saw some of the highest numbers of care applications ever recorded.  

Guardians reported the delays were due to local authorities undertaking work to address long-standing concerns relating to families (56 per cent) and to carry out work in the pre-proceedings period (44 per cent) when work is done to prepare for proceedings but other options are also considered.

However, Cafcass put forward an alternative explanation: “It is important to note, however, that guardians consider the majority of applications to have been made in a timely manner, and that the higher percentage of applications considered late may reflect a lower tolerance by guardians of perceived delay.”

The report also found that guardians backed social workers' decisions in 84 per cent of cases; the same number thought the local authority had met the requirements of the revised Public Law Outline measures for handling cases; and that 75 per cent of child protection plans were related to child neglect.   

Anthony Douglas, Cafcass chief executive said: “Our guardians have rightly upped their expectations of local authority practice and local authority social workers have upped their game – a combination which can only give children at risk better protection.