Last month, the children and family courts service received 1,104 care applications, a 25% increase on the same time last year
More care applications were received in June than ever before, figures recorded by Cafcass have revealed.
Last month, the children and family court advisory and support service received 1,104 care applications from children’s social workers, a 25% increase on the same time last year.
This marks the first time that care applications have risen above 1,100 in a single month, while the number so far received this year (2,973) is the highest when compared to the four previous years that applications have been counted.
Increased awareness
Anthony Douglas, chief executive of Cafcass, said the rise could be attributed to an awareness of child protection issues.
“We are keeping the increases we have seen under review, to see if they become a longer-term trend that needs further evaluation, in the wider context of how the family justice system can adapt to different levels of pressure,” he said.
Referrals to the family courts body have been steadily rising since the death of Peter Connelly (Baby P) in November 2007. This led many to attribute the rise in care applications to an increasingly risk averse culture within children’s services.
