iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

CHART OF THE MONTH Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the number of approved foster carers in England fell 12%. Over the same period, the number of children's homes grew 50% while the overall number of children in care increased only slightly. Learn more: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

New stories will be coming soon in our Seeding Change series, where we speak to people from across the family justice system to show diverse views on what families need to thrive and ways the system can improve. Read previous stories now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/stories

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

SEEDING CHANGE Read stories of innovative practice from across the family justice system on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/stories

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

CHART OF THE MONTH A substantial minority of parents return to court within five years following private law applications. Learn more: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

This upcoming report by researchers at Lancaster University will represent an important step forward in understanding families’ journeys through the court process. The report will be available on our website soon. Keep an eye on our social media for updates.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

WEBINAR - WEDNESDAY 3 JUNE 2026 - 4:30PM - 6PM This event marks the launch of our new five-year strategy and comes at a time when the government is also preparing a strategy for the family justice system. Register to attend here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/events/famil...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

CHART OF THE MONTH This month’s chart of the month shows that there has been a 7% increase in private law cases in comparison to 2024, which is the biggest annual increase in cases since 2015. Read more now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Read the updated toolkit, which aims to support family judges in writing to the children involved in the cases before them. We supported the toolkit's development, sharing findings from research on children’s experiences of family court proceedings. www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

CHART OF THE MONTH Read more from this data, and previous charts of the month, on the Data Tracker, on our website: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

NEW BRIEFING PAPER Read our new briefing paper by our Associate Director Dr Ellie Ott: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/dev...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

NEW SEEDING CHANGE STORY COMING SOON This article will be available on our website soon. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Our updated briefing paper ‘AI in the family justice system’ is available to download on our website now. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/ai-...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

NEW BRIEFING PAPER COMING SOON An update to our 2024 briefing aims to prompt reflection and discussion on AI in the family justice system. The paper will be available to download on our website soon. Keep an eye on our social media for updates.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

This month we take a look at data which shows that White and Mixed ethnicity children are more likely to leave proceedings on legal permanence orders (adoption and special guardianship) Explore this and other data on our data tracker now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

Our new WhatsApp channel provides a new convenient way to sign up to our events and download our research from your phone. Sign up now via the QR code or link: whatsapp.com/channel/0029...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Join our WhatsApp channel for a new way to stay up to date with our research and events while on the move. Sign up at the QR code below, or via this link: whatsapp.com/channel/0029...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

CHART OF THE MONTH This month we look at publicly funded mediation, which has seen a substantial decline since 2013, with a 60% drop in assessments over 12 years, and a halving of successful agreements. Read more on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

This new report will highlight the experiences of both young people and professionals, providing insights and perspectives as to how the meetings might work better. We will share updates on our LinkedIn and BlueSky when the report is published on our website.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

CHART OF THE MONTH This month, NFJO's Associate Director (Research and Data) Dr Eleanor 'Ellie' Ott explores the data in more detail in a blog post. Read more here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/whos-in...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

For this month's Seeding Change story we spoke to the team at YMCA Leicestershire and The Y Theatre about their work with the young people who come to live in supported housing. Read the article here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/story/how-ym...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

In this month's Seeding Change story we'll be learning about how YMCA Leicestershire and The Y Theatre create environments of support and empowerment for young people in supported housing. Available on our website soon. Keep an eye out for further updates.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

CHART OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER November is #NationalCareLeaversMonth. In this month's chart of the month we look at what data tells us about care leavers' pathways into higher education, where vocational pathways are more common Explore the data: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

WEBINAR TODAY - 12:00 - 13:00 (Online) What words do you think come to mind for parents when they think about their relationships with social workers? Join us as we discuss changing reported negative dynamics between parents and professionals working in children’s services. lnkd.in/emvKC324

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

1/3 These new briefing papers highlights learning points from a peer collaborative convened by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory focused on improving support for for children in complex situations.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

We've noticed some new followers so wanted to share some information about how we work at Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. Read more here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/about

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

NEW STORY COMING SOON In our latest Seeding Change article we will be looking at how HOPE Boxes are reducing trauma and maintaining connections when newborn babies and their mothers are separated The story will be available to read on our website soon

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Our new briefing paper 'Residential family assessment centres: Data trends and questions' examines the patterns around the increasing number of new registrations of residential family assessment centres across the country. Read more here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/res...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

NEW BRIEFING PAPER - AVAILABLE NOW 'Residential family assessment centres: Data trends and questions' Read and download the paper here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/res...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

This new briefing paper will be available to read and download in full on our website very soon. We will also be sharing highlights from the paper across our Bluesky and LinkedIn.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

2/2 Speaking on the Family Law Week podcast Anne*, one of the young people who contributed to the development of the toolkit, explains why judges writing to explain their decisions to children can be so valuable. Listen to the podcast in full here: lnkd.in/eHXejzQA

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Good data is a vital part of a just and effective family justice system. In any organisation, the choices about what is measured reflect priorities; in Lord Darzi’s words, ‘What gets measured, get managed’. Read more from this newly published report : www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/chi...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

NEW PAPER Good data is a vital part of a just and effective family justice system. Reliable, meaningful data not only enables people to track progress against aims and objectives but also brings transparency to how the system operates. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/chi...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

NEW REPORT COMING SOON We will be publishing this new report very soon and will announce the publication on our LinkedIn and Bluesky. Keep an eye out for more.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Director Lisa Harker appeared on the We Society podcast from Academy of Social Sciences speaking to host Will Hutton about the groundbreaking work that NFJO has undertaken on children on deprivation of liberty orders. Listen online here: lnkd.in/dChS7DiG

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

What do you think about some of the questions posed by our updated report 'Recurrent care proceedings: five key areas for reflection from the research'? www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/rec... Share your thoughts below.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

This spotlight paper will update the 2021 edition, notably including findings from two recent studies that have linked Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru data with health data. We will be posting further updates when this report is available on our website.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Our brand new Data Tracker brings our data and research together into one easy-to-use dashboard. We will be continuously adding new data to the tracker – if there is information you would like to see on our new dashboard, please message us www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/data-tracker

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Be the first to read our latest data and research on newborn babies, and find out about upcoming events, by signing up for our bulletin. Sign up and read previous bulletins on our website here: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/project/newb...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Read more from our recent report: 'Newborn babies in urgent care proceedings in England and Wales: An update' on our website now: www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/new...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

This paper analyses the number of newborn babies in care proceedings in England and Wales and the use of initial hearings that are held at short notice. For the first time, we are also able to report on the ethnicity of babies in care proceedings in England. www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/resource/new...

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Ashley John-Baptiste gave a powerful closing keynote to end the day. Sharing his own experiences of growing up in care, he reminded us of what's possible and asked: "Who are the individuals showing up for children who have been deprived of their liberty?"

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

LEARNING SESSION: Learning from Provider Collaboratives: A multi-agency response to improve life outcomes for children and young people living in residential care in the West Midlands.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

LEARNING SESSION Making belonging a reality: A new approach to caring for children in York

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

LEARNING SESSION Building Bridges: How integration between Children’s Social Care and Children’s Mental Health services can support better outcomes for young people

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

LEARNING SESSION Connecting the pieces of the puzzle with relentless hope: Anchoring secure attachment through a relational and whole system approach to the care of young people with complex needs

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

As the summit continues into the afternoon for the learning sessions, we are excited to hear from so many of you here today sharing your experiences and expertise.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

“Nuffield FJO found that over the course of one year 94% of local authorities in England made an application for a deprivation of liberty order. 14 local authorities made more than 20 applications.”

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

“The explosion in applications for deprivation of liberty orders has drawn attention to something that is very wrong with our systems of care for young people.” - Lisa Harker, Director, Nuffield Family Justice Observatory

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

What should children expect from services? We asked the professionals here today to contribute to this word cloud. As you can see, the things that people identified the most often as being vitally important are love, empathy and understanding.

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Nuffield Family Justice Observatory @nuffieldfjo.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

We're here in Birmingham today for 'Back to Their Futures Summit Transforming care for children subject to Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders' It's fantastic to see so many professionals here today from all across the family justice system. We can make a difference, together.

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