The government last week published a breakdown of the legal bills local authorities will face from 1 May as part of changes to the funding of child protection cases.
These changes include a massive 2,750 per cent hike in the cost of obtaining a Section 31 care order. Currently local authorities pay £150, but the new fees will see them paying as much as £4,125 per case.
Helen James, chair of Nagalro, said: "The rise in court fees that local authorities will have to pay to take a case of neglect or abuse to court is a deterrent to vital safeguarding measures."
She added the extra costs for councils could result in Section 20 arrangements, where parents voluntarily put their child in care, being used as a dumping ground.
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