Judges to investigate use of urgent hearings involving babies

Family Court Judges will investigate how urgent hearings are used in cases involving newborn babies. This was after a report by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory found that the number of newborn babies in care rose by 20% between 2012 and 2020.

Furthermore, the study found that 85% of mothers whose newborn babies had been taken into care had been given as little as 7 days formal notice of the urgent hearing. One in six mothers had also stated that care proceedings were issued and heard on the same day.

However, judges have stressed that this short notice period does not necessarily mean mother and baby separation. This is always the last resort after considering all available options but they will still investigate the procedure following the study.