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15th View from the President’s Chambers: care cases: the looming crisis

Date:19 SEP 2016
Third slide
Formerly President of the Family Division
In my last View published in September [2016] Fam Law 1102 I drew attention to the seemingly relentless rise in the number of new care cases. The fact is that we are approaching a crisis for which we are ill-prepared and where there is no clear strategy to manage the crisis. What is to be done?

I start with the figures. The most accessible and up-to-date figures (in each case for the year from April to March) are those published by Cafcass:

2005-6
6 613


2006-7
6 786


2007-8
6 241


2008-9
6 488


2009-10
8 832


2010-11
9 203


2011-12
10 255


2012-13
11 110


2013-14
10 620


2015-16
12 781
Apr-Aug: 5 059
Sept-Mar: 7 722
2016-17
14 713(e)*
Apr-Aug: 6 219
Sept-Mar: 8 494 (10%)
2016-17
15 485(e)*
Apr-Aug: 6 219
Sept-Mar:...

Read the full article here.