Average time for care proceedings to reach first disposal now at longest since 2013: MoJ report

The percentage of care or supervision cases to reach first disposal within 26 weeks fell seven points in April to June 2019 (to 41%) compared with the same period for 2018, the latest quarterly statistics from the Ministry of Justice have revealed.

The Family Court Statistics Quarterly for England and Wales also showed that the average time for a care or supervision case to reach first disposal was 33 weeks in April to June 2019, more than two weeks up from the same quarter in 2018.

This is the longest average time to first disposal since the final quarter of 2013, the report said.

The 26-week limit was introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014

The report also revealed that:

• A 4% fall in new Children Act - Public law cases in April to June 2019 contributed to a 5% fall in new cases in family courts overall during the period to 64,813.
• There were 1,230 adoption applications in April to June 2019, down 2% on the equivalent quarter in 2018. Over the same period the number of adoption orders issued decreased by 6% to 1,202.
• There were 1,372 applications relating to deprivation of liberty in April to June 2019, up 18% on the equivalent quarter in 2018. Deprivation of liberty orders were up 17% over the same period.

The Family Court Statistics Quarterly can be viewed here.