Better Data Needed to Combat Delays in Public Law Family Cases
Published on Exchange Chambers, 2025.
The public law family justice system is in urgent need of better data — and better use of the data we already have. That is the central argument of this piece, which draws on my doctoral research into the child protection legal system and on two decades of practice at the family Bar.
The 26-week statutory timescale for the resolution of public law proceedings was introduced with the best of intentions: to spare children the harm of prolonged uncertainty, and to ensure that decisions about their futures are made with appropriate speed. In practice, that timescale is routinely breached — and the consequences for children and families can be profound.
What we lack is granular, systematic data that would allow us to understand why cases are delayed, at which points, and in which courts. Without that data, reform is blind. My doctoral research — working title: Because childhood lasts a lifetime — seeks to address this gap, arguing that embedding robust data collection and child rights frameworks into the system is a prerequisite for the improvements that children and families deserve.