Data from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) for October–December 2022 show average waits of 60 weeks in public law cases in East London and Norwich, and 58 weeks in West London and Wolverhampton/Telford.
Overall, children removed from their parents by the state are waiting for 46 weeks on average before being told where they will live, according to the statistics, which are for Q4 2022–23.
The recommended government target is 26 weeks.
More than 52,000 individual children (nearly 32,000 cases) are affected. Private family law cases, involving 80,000 children, are also experiencing delays with waits of nearly 45 weeks on average.
Calling for more investment in the system, Cris McCurley, a member of the Law Society’s access to justice committee, said: ‘I worry about the effect on children, some of whom have not seen their primary carer parent for more than three years.’
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