The Law Gazette reports that care applications have reached an all time record.
During 2010/11 there were more than 9,000 care applications in England, up 4% on 2009/10. This compares with a 36% increase in the previous year.
Cafcass Chief Executive, Anthony Douglas, is quoted as saying that, as a result, pressure on all parts of the family law system is intense.
Christina Blacklaws of the Law Society Council described the family justice system as being “in meltdown”. She criticised the government for continuing with “savage” cuts in the face of the increases.
It is not just the pressure on the family courts that is the issue here. Care proceedings generate huge amounts of work for local authority social workers, both during the case and subsequently when an order is made. Without adequate resources the system will meltdown, with disastrous consequences for the children and young people it is designed to serve.
