‘Shocking delays' to child care reviews would be slashed by imposing strict six-month time limits, the Family Justice Review panel has proposed in a report issued today.

Couples with children who separate should make their own arrangements to protect a system unable to cope with the huge strain of rising caseloads, the independent panel suggests.

Some 500,000 children and adults are involved in the family justice system each year and the legal backlog has become so severe that around 20,000 children currently await decisions into future arrangements for their care.

Chair of the Family Justice Review, former HM Treasury economist David Norgrove said: ‘We need to eliminate the shocking delays in the system.

‘This is why we are recommending legislation to ensure that child protection cases must not be allowed to take any more than six months, save in exceptional circumstances.'

‘We also propose better ways for parents to be helped to keep the focus on their children as they separate, with information, education and mediation, and court action only if all that fails.'

Establishing a Family Justice Service forcing agencies and professionals to work together with greater coherence is another key recommendation.

Commenting on the review, Cllr David Simmonds, chairman of the LGA's children and young people board said: ‘Councils are dedicated to putting children first and those in care need to be saved from the years of uncertainty created by the current court system.

‘The Government has recently challenged local authorities to remove the barriers that delay decisions in the adoption and fostering process.  It must now play its part by implementing these recommendations to stop children and families from spending an unacceptable length of time going through the court.'