Research has found that shorter care proceedings are improving placement stability.
A research study into a pilot conducted before the introduction of the 26 week Public Law Outline also found it shortened the time it took for children to find a placement.
The University of East Anglia research found a drastic reduction in the length of care proceedings had helped a group of local authorities reach resolutions more quickly, reduced the number of moves a child made after the placement and reduced the length of the post-court period.
Commissioned by Cafcass and the Department for Education, the study analysed the long-term impact of a 2013 pilot scheme testing the 26-week timeline in the Tri-Borough councils. The experience of a ‘pre-pilot cohort’ of 131 children was compared with 125 children who went through the quicker proceedings.
Read more here.