March 2010 sees record number of care applications

The number of care applications in March 2010 was – at 823 – the highest ever recorded for a single month since Cafcass first started collecting the data.

Cafcass also said that comparing the whole of 2009-10 to last year’s figures, care demand shot up by 34% to 2,188 cases. The organisation also saw a 16% increase in private law cases compared to 2008-09.

The figures clearly demonstrate the effect of the 'Baby Peter' case on care applications – before this year's sharp rise, the number of care applications was stable, with the numbers for 2008-09 representing a small dip on the figure of 6613 recorded for 2005-06.

Anthony Douglas, Cafcass chief executive, said: “I fully support the actions that local authorities are taking to protect these children, most of whom have complex long-term needs and for whom there are no easy options or solutions, either at home or in the care system.”

He acknowledged that the sustained increase in care cases had placed all those working in the care system “under pressure”. But he added: “Where agencies are working together collaboratively, as outlined in the renewed President’s Interim Guidance, we have found that backlogs in cases have fallen and we are providing a more timely service to children.”

Douglas claimed that Cafcass’ new proportionate ways of working and the introduction of duty schemes in some areas had allowed it to provide a service to an increased number of children.

Cafcass staff were working on 11,509 cases in March 2010, he said, up 26% on the 9,128 they were handling in July 2009.