Guardians maintain child contact levels, study suggests

A study by the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) found that on average children involved in care proceedings were seen three times by children's guardians, but the number ranged from none, in five cases, up to 13.

Research on guardians' work published in 2003, recorded similar results for the amount of time guardians spent with children. Although measured differently, most cases in the 2003 study involved the guardian seeing the child no more than five times.

In the latest study, a third of children were met in person by the guardian - all those aged over 12 - but due to the fact that many were aged under 10-years-old, other contact methods were used including observations and telephone calls.

Nearly three quarters of contacts took place within the first three months of proceedings.

The study also found that guardians had contact with children in 95 per cent of the 98 care cases studied, while in nine out of ten cases there was contact with adults.

Over the past decade, the number of care applications has risen by more than 50 per cent, suggesting guardians have been able to maintain contact levels with children despite growing caseloads.

Anthony Douglas, chief executive of Cafcass, said: "The study brings out the dynamics and complexity of care cases, including how much families change during care proceedings, and the parental risk factors present.

"Care proceedings are a profound intervention by the state into family life and our study shines a light on the issues involved for all concerned."

The study looked at care cases in late 2012 involving 155 children, a third of whom were babies and 80 per cent aged under 10-years-old.

In more than two thirds of cases there had been previous care proceedings related to another child within the family, while 14 per cent of cases had three children from the same family involved in court proceedings at that time.