The proportion of children who are subject to care proceedings who have had to wait over a year to have their cases resolved has dramatically increased in recent years, a new report finds.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has found the proportion of children waiting more than a year for a public law case increased from 0.7% in January 2017 to 12% in December 2024.
The NAO’s report also found the average duration of proceedings in 2024 was 36 weeks, which exceeds the 26-week time limit set by the Government in 2014.
The Government’s 26-week time limit has never been met.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: ‘The Government has a range of initiatives to improve family justice services for families and the number of children waiting for court decisions is reducing.
‘But many cases still take too long to complete and further action is needed to remove the barriers to a more efficient system, including poor quality data and fragmented decision-making.’
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