If you work in any capacity within the court system, you’ll be aware of the delays caused by the pandemic. Family courts in particular have seen huge backlog and delays, which has caused the average length of care proceedings to be at a nine year high! – You can read about this in the post from Social Work Today.
Levels of professional intervention into family life have historically been influenced by serious incidents, where intervention has either been perceived to be too much or too little. Local Authority Social Workers have faced significant criticism over their handling of cases however, high caseloads and considerable delays within care proceedings, as a direct result of the covid pandemic, have led to an inevitable consequence of increased intervention.
We have previously discussed the ‘hidden children’ of the pandemic; those children who were on the cusp of professional intervention; where concerns have been noted however, who did not fit the criteria for compulsory attendance at school during periods of lockdown. Parents who were already struggling to care for their children have found home schooling and the full-time care of their children challenging. Incidents of domestic violence along with declines in parental mental health have resulted in a significant increase in safeguarding concerns. With significant delays in the Family Courts, intervention has been key to keeping children safe.
Resources have long since been depleted by Government cuts and those remaining, have been closed for long periods of time over the past 18 months. It is more important than ever, therefore, that assessments of parents are solution focussed and consider the need for more innovative methods to safeguard children. Robust assessment of extended family members, who can assist to reduce or ameliorate concerns, is an essential component of any assessment.
At Advanced CCA, we recognise the need for a more robust approach to assessments. Professional intervention and support networks can be a key component of decisions that will keep families together. And for those families where children cannot be safeguarded in their parent’s care, to support and encourage strong connections between parents and their children to optimise the maintenance of attachments for the child whilst the Family Court’s face an unprecedented demand.
