Care proceedings length continues to fall the period January to March saw the average time for a care case to last was 32 weeks, continuing the drop seen since the beginning of 2012, after durations had remained at about 55 weeks for over a year.
The median number sits at 26.3 weeks which is even more encouraging. This means that half of all care proceedings were completed under the 26 week target; the average is skewed by a small number of long-lasting cases.
The number of family cases where one or both of the parties were not represented rose by 50% – showing that the effects of the April 2013 legal aid changes are still being felt. The figures also showed that the number of new family cases fell by 6% in the first quarter, and that the amount of time spent in court by judges dropped by 3%.
Ministry of Justice Statistics Bulletin was published on the 19th June 2014, covering the first quarter of the year. The publication can be found here.
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