Cafcass sees care applications increase by 7% in September

The number of care applications received by Cafcass in September jumped by 7% to 902 compared to the same month in 2013.

However, the figures for the first six months of the 2014/15 financial year remain broadly comparable to the same period in 2013/14.

There were 5,369 applications between April and September – an increase of 1.2% on the previous year (5,302). The rise may be linked to the Government’s introduction of a 26-week time limit for the majority of care proceedings.

July saw the highest ever recorded number of applications for a single month, at 1,017. The previous record was in February 2013 (1,006).

The high water mark for a single year was 2012/13, when 11,110 applications were received. There were 10,614 in 2013/14, 10,255 in 2011/12 and 9,203 in 2010/11.