HMCTS services: Family Public Law and Adoption
HMCTS reform to make court processes in Family Public Law and Adoption (FPLA) more efficient.
HMCTS reform aims to make court processes in Family Public Law and Adoption (FPLA) more efficient, by ensuring that courts, parties and their representatives have access to the right information at the right time.
To achieve this, we have created a digital service that allows local authorities to complete and submit online applications for care and supervision orders (Form C110a).
Key statistics
- 24 courts had introduced the digital family public law service by the end of 2020
- 1191 digital applications received by the end of 2020
Aims and progress
| Objectives | Achievements | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| To make the overall court process in public law and adoption more efficient | Piloted the digital public law service in Stoke-on-Trent, Portsmouth and Swansea, adding further courts in November 2019 | Local authority users report that the time taken to apply online is up to 50% quicker than on paper |
| To support the court in its role to decide on the best outcomes for children involved in public law and adoption cases | Began allowing cases to be managed digitally from start to finish and began expanding the service across England and Wales | Legal professionals can be added to the digital case so that they can access digitally the documents/evidence they need while preparing for a hearing |
| To provide parties and their representatives with access to the right information at the right time | From 30 March 2020, we started to move administrative work for the digital public law service to the Courts & Tribunals Service Centre (CTSC) in Stoke-on-Trent | A service that allows files and bundles to be accessed remotely and without delay |
| To deliver a service, that is digital from start to finish, for individuals and legal representatives wishing to make an application for adoption | Made further improvements to online care and supervision applications (C110a) | |
| Built automated notifications into the service, so that CAFCASS are aware of new cases as early as possible | ||
| Introduced the ability for local authorities to upload large digital bundles before and during a hearing |
What users say
A member of the judiciary in Cardiff:
Cardiff was a relatively early adopter of the new online public law service so I have now been using it for some time. A significant advantage is that the file is always available; no need to wait for staff to bring it to you and you can access it from wherever you are. This has been of great assistance during the national, and more recent local, lockdowns. I was originally concerned that having a centralised system with staff not being easily accessible might lead to delays but that has not happened. The Courts & Tribunal Service Centre at Stoke appears to be well staffed and progress is swiftly made once, for example, orders are approved. Like any new system there have been some glitches, but the development team are accessible and quick to take up any issues raised.
Looking ahead in 2021
By the end of this year we will have:
- continued service improvements based on user feedback
- improved the process for submitting other applications, such as discharge of care and other public law applications
- improved case sharing and access, giving local authorities the ability to outsource work to legal firms
- given legal professionals the option to add themselves to a case by submitting a digital request
- provide the ability for users to engage with the service in Welsh
Contact us
Email PublicLawAndAdoption@justice.gov.uk