Children Order Bulletin
April to June 2011(Provisional Figures)
Summary
During April - June 2011:
- There were 1,461 applications entered during the period, of which:
155 = Public
1,306 = Private
This represents an increase of 8% on the same period last year (1,355).
- There were 1,230 applications dealt with during the period, of which:
130 = Public
1,100 = Private
This represents an increase of 6% on the same period last year (1,159).
- There were 168 cases transferred during the period with 178 reasons for transfer. This is a 9% increase on the April to June 2010 figures, when 154 cases were transferred with 161 reasons.
- During the period there were 188 own motion orders made, and 5% were in relation to Contact issues. This is a 16% decrease compared with the 223 own motion orders made between April – June 2010.
- There were 4,268 interim orders made, and the majority were in relation to Contact (2,251) and Care (1,384) issues. This represents a 4% decrease on the same period last year (4,434).
- There were 472 sittings spent on Children Order business between April and June 2011, this indicates a 5% decrease compared with April to June 2010 (497 sittings). The court times were spent on Children Order business between April – June 2011:
Total time = 1137 hours 08 minutes
Average sitting time = 2 hrs 25 minutes
- There were 2,930 final orders made between April and June 2011, this is a 6% increase on the 2,768 orders made between April to June 2010.
- The average waiting time in weeks from lodgement to disposal for public law cases was 38 weeks, compared with 36 weeks for April – June 2010.
- The average waiting time in weeks between lodgement to disposal for private law cases was 28 weeks, compared with 25 weeks for April – June 2010.
- There were 1,742 children involved in Children Order Proceedings during the period, which was a 21% increase on April to June 2010 (1437).
- 41% of children involved in Children Order Proceedings were under the age of five. In April to June 2010, 37% were under the age of five.
Table 1a: Applications entered and disposed
| |
Number of applications entered |
Number of disposals |
| Private Law |
Family Proceedings Court |
1185 |
925 |
| Family Care Centre |
38 |
106 |
| High Court |
83 |
69 |
| Total |
1306 |
1100 |
| Public Law |
Family Proceedings Court |
138 |
75 |
| Family Care Centre |
9 |
29 |
| High Court |
8 |
26 |
| Total |
155 |
130 |
Private law = residence, contact, specific issues, prohibited steps, parental responsibility, financial contribution, guardianship, family assistance, non-molestation and occupation orders
Table 1b: Applications entered and disposed by processing office
| |
Public Law |
Private Law |
| Number of applications entered |
Number of disposals |
Number of applications entered |
Number of disposals |
| Family Proceedings Court |
Antrim |
0 |
3 |
4 |
66 |
| Armagh |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
| Ballymena |
22 |
7 |
138 |
44 |
| Bangor |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| Belfast |
36 |
18 |
360 |
254 |
| Coleraine |
0 |
0 |
18 |
6 |
| Craigavon |
7 |
4 |
67 |
57 |
| Downpatrick |
0 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
| Dungannon |
21 |
15 |
59 |
61 |
| Larne |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Limavady |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Lisburn |
6 |
2 |
108 |
76 |
| Londonderry |
13 |
5 |
147 |
106 |
| Magherafelt |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Newry |
15 |
11 |
108 |
105 |
| Newtownards |
17 |
10 |
166 |
140 |
| Omagh |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Venue total |
138 |
75 |
1185 |
925 |
| Family Care Centre |
Belfast |
6 |
18 |
26 |
57 |
| Craigavon |
3 |
8 |
12 |
36 |
| Dungannon |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Londonderry |
0 |
3 |
0 |
13 |
| Venue total |
9 |
29 |
38 |
106 |
| High Court |
Royal Courts of Justice |
8 |
26 |
83 |
69 |
| Venue total |
8 |
26 |
83 |
69 |
Private law = residence, contact, specific issues, prohibited steps, parental responsibility, financial contribution, guardianship, family assistance, non-molestation and occupation orders.
Table 1c: Applications entered and disposed
| |
Public Law |
Private Law |
| Number of applications entered |
Number of disposals |
Number of applications entered |
Number of disposals |
| Northern Ireland |
155 |
130 |
1306 |
1100 |
Table 2: Reasons for transfer
| Transferred from |
Complexity |
Consolidation |
Convenience |
Gravity |
Jurisdiction |
Returned to Lower Court |
Separate Representation
for Child |
Urgency |
Point of Law |
Public Interest |
Other |
Total |
| Family Proceedings Court |
Antrim |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
| Armagh |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Ballymena |
19 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
31 |
| Belfast |
25 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
33 |
| Coleraine |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Craigavon |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
| Downpatrick |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Dungannon |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| Larne |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Lisburn |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| Londonderry |
11 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
| Newry |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
| Newtownards |
8 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
19 |
| Omagh |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Venue total |
78 |
19 |
2 |
3 |
26 |
0 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
139 |
| Family Care Centre |
Belfast |
8 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
22 |
| Craigavon |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| Dungannon |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Londonderry |
4 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
| Venue total |
15 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
33 |
| High Court |
Office of Care and Protection |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
| Matrimonial Office |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Venue total |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| Northern Ireland Total |
93 |
20 |
4 |
7 |
32 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
178 |
[1] Total number of reasons for transfer. There may be more than one reason for each case. There were 168 cases transferred during the period.
Table 3: Total own motion orders
| |
Own motion orders |
| Parental Responsibility |
0 |
| Contact: Permission |
9 |
| Contact: Refusal |
0 |
| Residence |
8 |
| Prohibited Steps |
2 |
| Specific Issues |
3 |
| Family Assistance |
0 |
| Care |
51 |
| Supervision |
1 |
| Education Supervision |
0 |
| Declaration of Parentage |
0 |
| Child Assessment |
3 |
| Emergency Protection |
0 |
| Extension of EPO |
0 |
| Recovery |
0 |
| Secure Accommodation |
0 |
| Article 53 Contract |
0 |
| Appointment of Guardian |
51 |
| Contribution and other Financial |
0 |
| Non-Molestation Order |
0 |
| Occupation Articles |
0 |
| Article 56 Investigations |
0 |
| Exclusion Requirement |
0 |
| Ex Parte Application refused |
0 |
| Other orders, applications etc |
60 |
| Total |
188 |
Table 4: Total interim orders
| |
Interim orders |
| Parental Responsibility |
6 |
| Contact: Permission |
2251 |
| Contact: Refusal |
0 |
| Residence |
386 |
| Prohibited Steps |
100 |
| Specific Issues |
23 |
| Family Assistance |
0 |
| Care |
1384 |
| Supervision |
50 |
| Education Supervision |
0 |
| Child Assessment |
0 |
| Emergency Protection |
0 |
| Extension of EPO |
0 |
| Recovery |
0 |
| Secure Accommodation |
59 |
| Article 53 Contract |
0 |
| Appointment of Guardian |
0 |
| Contribution and other Financial |
0 |
| Non-Molestation Order |
9 |
| Occupation Articles |
0 |
| Article 56 Investigations |
0 |
| Exclusion Requirement |
0 |
| Other orders, applications etc |
0 |
| Total |
4268 |
Table 5a: Sitting times disposed of by court venue
| |
Total sitting time |
Average sitting time |
Total sittings |
| Family Proceedings Court |
Antrim |
24:50 |
03:33 |
7 |
| Ballymena |
32:30 |
02:43 |
12 |
| Ballymena@Antrim |
03:25 |
03:25 |
1 |
| Bangor |
00:10 |
00:10 |
1 |
| Belfast |
183:35 |
03:32 |
52 |
| Coleraine |
28:55 |
04:49 |
6 |
| Craigavon |
48:55 |
03:46 |
13 |
| Dungannon |
25:55 |
02:53 |
9 |
| Larne |
13:35 |
03:24 |
4 |
| Limavady |
00:10 |
00:10 |
1 |
| Lisburn |
43:10 |
03:05 |
14 |
| Londonderry |
78:25 |
03:44 |
21 |
| Newry |
49:55 |
03:20 |
15 |
| Newtownards |
85:35 |
02:19 |
37 |
| Omagh |
43:40 |
03:22 |
13 |
| Venue total |
662:45 |
03:13 |
206 |
| Family Care Centre |
Armagh |
05:30 |
05:30 |
1 |
| Belfast |
177:37 |
01:58 |
90 |
| Craigavon |
100:31 |
05:35 |
18 |
| Dungannon |
10:46 |
01:32 |
7 |
| Lisburn |
02:00 |
02:00 |
1 |
| Londonderry |
33:30 |
01:27 |
23 |
| Omagh |
00:10 |
00:10 |
1 |
| Venue total |
330:04 |
02:20 |
141 |
| High Court |
Royal Courts of Justice |
144:19 |
1:09 |
125 |
| Venue total |
144:19 |
1:09 |
125 |
Table 5b: Sitting times and business disposed of in Northern Ireland
| |
Total sitting time |
Average sitting time |
Total sittings |
| Northern Ireland |
1137:08 |
02:25 |
472 |
[1] Total sittings include both minority and majority sittings
Table 6: Orders Made
| |
Orders Made |
Total |
| By Consent |
Other |
| Orders Made |
Adjourn Generally |
0 |
3 |
3 |
| Appointment of Guardian |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Article 20 Non-Molestation Order |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| Article 53 Contact with a Child in Care |
0 |
6 |
6 |
| Care Order |
48 |
72 |
120 |
| Contact Order |
689 |
196 |
885 |
| Declaration of Parentage |
18 |
9 |
27 |
| Discharging a Care Order |
3 |
5 |
8 |
| Discharge Contact Order |
11 |
14 |
25 |
| Discharge Emergency Protection Order |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Discharge Non Molestation Occupation Order |
0 |
4 |
4 |
| Discharge Prohibited Steps Order |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Discharge Residence Order |
2 |
4 |
6 |
| Dismiss Order (Children Order) |
0 |
64 |
64 |
| Education Supervision Order |
0 |
8 |
8 |
| Emergency Protection Order |
2 |
7 |
9 |
| Emergency Protection Order - Out of Hours |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Extension of an Emergency Protection Order |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Financial Provision |
1 |
3 |
4 |
| Leave to change surname by which child is known |
3 |
2 |
5 |
| Leave to remove Child from the UK |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Leave to withdraw |
159 |
81 |
240 |
| Non Molestation Order |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Order of No Order (Final Order) |
62 |
16 |
78 |
| Order for Leave of Court |
0 |
43 |
43 |
| Order terminating appointment of GAL |
101 |
28 |
129 |
| Other Order |
44 |
299 |
343 |
| Parental Responsibility Order |
52 |
17 |
69 |
| Proceedings dismissed without prejudice (Final Order) |
23 |
29 |
52 |
| Prohibited Steps Order |
6 |
66 |
72 |
| Recovery of a Child |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Refusal of Article 3 Certification |
0 |
8 |
8 |
| Residence Order |
338 |
167 |
505 |
| Secure Accommodation Order |
7 |
1 |
8 |
| Specific Issues Order |
47 |
33 |
80 |
| Strike out |
33 |
48 |
81 |
| Supervision Order |
11 |
24 |
35 |
| Total |
1668 |
1262 |
2930 |
Table 7a: Average time in weeks from lodgement to disposal of cases by processing office
| |
Public law |
Private law |
| Average time weeks |
Number of cases |
Average time weeks |
Number of cases |
| Family Proceedings Court |
Antrim |
16.8 |
3 |
19.5 |
66 |
| Armagh |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Ballymena |
43.3 |
7 |
35.9 |
44 |
| Bangor |
0 |
0 |
18.4 |
2 |
| Belfast |
25.4 |
18 |
20.3 |
254 |
| Coleraine |
0 |
0 |
1.8 |
6 |
| Craigavon |
11.6 |
4 |
25.8 |
57 |
| Downpatrick |
0 |
0 |
2.1 |
4 |
| Dungannon |
47.9 |
15 |
20.5 |
61 |
| Larne |
0 |
0 |
20.4 |
3 |
| Lisburn |
13.3 |
2 |
25.7 |
76 |
| Londonderry |
51.2 |
5 |
24.7 |
106 |
| Newry |
33.6 |
11 |
21.8 |
105 |
| Newtownards |
18.9 |
10 |
32.7 |
140 |
| Total |
32.2 |
75 |
24.1 |
925 |
| Family Care Centre |
Belfast |
32.0 |
18 |
54.4 |
57 |
| Craigavon |
51.7 |
8 |
52.3 |
36 |
| Dungannon |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Londonderry |
103.1 |
3 |
73.3 |
13 |
| Total |
44.8 |
29 |
56.0 |
106 |
| High Court |
Royal Courts of Justice |
49.3 |
26 |
39.8 |
69 |
| Total |
49.3 |
26 |
39.8 |
69 |
N.B. Cases disposed will include time spent at the lower court tier.
Table 7b: Average time in weeks from lodgement to disposal of cases in Northern Ireland
| |
Public law |
Private law |
| Average time weeks |
Number of cases |
Average time weeks |
Number of cases |
| Northern Ireland |
38.4 |
130 |
28.2 |
1100 |
N.B. Cases disposed will include time spent at the lower court tier.
Table 8: Age and gender of children
| |
0-4 |
5-8 |
9-12 |
13-16 |
Total |
| Male |
406 |
232 |
190 |
78 |
906 |
| Female |
310 |
242 |
181 |
103 |
836 |
| Unknown |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Total |
716 |
474 |
371 |
181 |
1742 |
Appendix 1 - Average time in weeks from lodgement to disposal by venue for Care Cases
| |
Average time in weeks |
Number of cases |
| Family Proceedings Court |
Antrim |
0 |
0 |
| Ballymena |
51.3 |
5 |
| Belfast |
39.1 |
10 |
| Craigavon |
0 |
0 |
| Dungannon |
60.0 |
11 |
| Lisburn |
25.7 |
1 |
| Londonderry |
148.3 |
1 |
| Newtownards |
28.6 |
5 |
| Newry |
43.2 |
8 |
| Total |
48.0 |
41 |
| Family Care Centre |
Belfast |
32.1 |
15 |
| Craigavon |
57.2 |
7 |
| Dungannon |
0 |
0 |
| Londonderry |
103.1 |
3 |
| Total |
47.7 |
25 |
| High Court |
Office of Care & Protection |
71.1 |
12 |
| Total |
71.1 |
12 |
N.B. Cases disposed will include time spent at the lower court tier. This table includes all care applications irrespective of the order made.
Appendix 1 - Average time in weeks from lodgement to disposal for Care Cases
| |
Average time weeks |
Number of cases |
| Northern Ireland |
51.5 |
78 |
N.B. Cases disposed will include time spent at the lower court tier. This table includes all care applications irrespective of the order made.
Appendix 2 - Average time in weeks spent at the court tier in which the case was finally disposed
| |
Public Law |
Private Law |
| Family Proceedings Court |
Antrim |
16.8 |
19.2 |
| Armagh |
0 |
0 |
| Ballymena |
40.2 |
35.6 |
| Bangor |
0 |
18.4 |
| Belfast |
25.4 |
19.7 |
| Coleraine |
0 |
1.8 |
| Craigavon |
11.6 |
25.8 |
| Downpatrick |
0 |
2.1 |
| Dungannon |
47.9 |
20.5 |
| Larne |
0 |
20.4 |
| Lisburn |
13.3 |
25.7 |
| Londonderry |
51.2 |
24.7 |
| Newry |
33.6 |
20.7 |
| Newtownards |
18.9 |
32.5 |
| Omagh |
0 |
0 |
| Total |
31.9 |
23.7 |
| Family Care Centre |
Belfast |
24.6 |
38.0 |
| Craigavon |
35.8 |
34.6 |
| Dungannon |
0 |
0 |
| Londonderry |
72.5 |
41.7 |
| Total |
32.6 |
37.3 |
| High Court |
Royal Courts of Justice |
42.8 |
31.0 |
| Total |
42.8 |
31.0 |
Appendix 2 - Average time in weeks spent at the court tier in which the case was finally disposed
| |
Public Law |
Private Law |
| Northern Ireland |
34.3 |
25.5 |
Data source and validations:
Data from the Integrated Courts Operations System (ICOS) are used for this publication. This system has been chosen as it is the main system within the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS). The data are input to this system on a daily basis. A download from this system is supplied to the Statistics and Research team on a weekly basis on flat files.
This information is downloaded via SPSS and validations are produced from this system to ensure that the data are reliable and robust for use. Any inconsistencies are reported back to individual court offices and if required, any necessary amendments are made to the data. Once, these amendments have been checked, computer syntax is then used to produce the tables in the bulletin. The aggregated total figures in the bulletin are produced from the computer syntax. The data are broken down by court location as this is the established way of producing and presenting these data.
To ensure that timely data are used, the latest available extract is used to compile this bulletin.
For further information on this publication please contact:
C Darragh
Statistics and Research
Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service
Laganside House
23-27 Oxford Street
Belfast
BT1 3LA
Tel: 028 9072 8927