Childcare lawyers have never been more in demand. Over the last 9 months we have witnessed a surge in local authority requests for experienced childcare locums. This jump is in dramatic contrast to the previous decline which followed the increase in fees for care proceeding applications.
Whilst other areas of practice have felt the full force of the recession, the number of legal childcare roles has increased. This significant rise in demand can be attributed in part to the tragedy of Baby P. Legal care proceedings have risen nearly a third following the convictions for his neglect last November. The public outcry over the incident has prompted intense monitoring of local government systems when dealing with a child deemed at risk. With no room for error, the lack of resources applied to childcare in previous times is no longer an option.
High childcare standards are essential and increased communication between lawyers and social workers paramount.
High childcare standards are essential and increased communication between lawyers and social workers paramount. Whereas in the past, some councils chose to outsource their legal childcare work as a cost saving exercise, authorities are now bringing in extra resources, actively prioritising the recruitment of experienced public sector lawyers who can handle their cases. Authorities are looking to recruit the most accomplished people they can in order to prevent another tragedy occurring.
As a result, supply is struggling to keep up with demand with a noticeable lack of experienced candidates to fill such a high volume of locum positions. The demand is such that hourly rates are being driven up rapidly, becoming more and more competitive and lucrative for those already in the profession.
This lack of available candidates has also meant that councils are looking at alternative recruitment options to ensure they can cope with the volume of care proceedings. Re-training former childcare lawyers and a look to private practice to recruit family lawyers with relevant public law experience are some of the solutions that have been found. We have also seen councils taking on higher volumes of support staff, legal assistants and paralegals, to assist and give extra support to their busy childcare teams.
