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<p>The number of unrepresented parents in private law Children Act cases is shown
in the table below.</p><p>Since 2015, we have invested almost £6.5million in a support
strategy for unrepresented parties. This provides practical support and information
as well as routes to free or more affordable legal advice. Public funding remains
available for parents in public law Children Act proceedings where a local authority
seeks an order to place a child in care or under its supervision, and in private law
Children Act cases where there is evidence of domestic or child abuse.</p><p>Whilst
we do publish numbers of private law cases with either an unrepresented applicant
or respondent as part of Family Court Statistics Quarterly, the data does not show
the relationship to the child.</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="14"><p><strong>Table
1: The total number of private law cases started and the number applicants and respondents
who had no representation in these cases from 2011 to 2017.</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Total number of cases started<sup>6</sup></strong></p></td><td
rowspan="2"><p><strong>Cases with at least one hearing<sup>6</sup></strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td colspan="4"><p><strong>Unrepresented Applicants</strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td colspan="4"><p><strong>Unrepresented Respondents</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Parent</p></td><td><p>Other<sup>4</sup></p></td><td><p>Unknown<sup>5</sup></p></td><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>Parent</p></td><td><p>Other<sup>4</sup></p></td><td><p>Unknown<sup>5</sup></p></td><td><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong> 49,067 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> 45,907 </strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>10,224</p></td><td><p>2,560</p></td><td><p>294</p></td><td><p>13,078</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>19,129</p></td><td><p>1,251</p></td><td><p>5,517</p></td><td><p>25,897</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong> 52,062 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> 49,157 </strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>11,583</p></td><td><p>2,524</p></td><td><p>340</p></td><td><p>14,447</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>21,117</p></td><td><p>1,243</p></td><td><p>6,344</p></td><td><p>28,704</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong> 54,624 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> 51,846 </strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>17,007</p></td><td><p>3,413</p></td><td><p>576</p></td><td><p>20,996</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>28,205</p></td><td><p>1,456</p></td><td><p>9,704</p></td><td><p>39,365</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong> 42,114 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> 39,776 </strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>16,753</p></td><td><p>3,181</p></td><td><p>829</p></td><td><p>20,763</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>21,824</p></td><td><p>908</p></td><td><p>9,164</p></td><td><p>31,896</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong> 43,347 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> 41,435 </strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>18,544</p></td><td><p>2,969</p></td><td><p>937</p></td><td><p>22,450</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>23,685</p></td><td><p>1,032</p></td><td><p>8,161</p></td><td><p>32,878</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong> 48,246 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> 46,256 </strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>21,839</p></td><td><p>3,094</p></td><td><p>1,073</p></td><td><p>26,006</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>26,669</p></td><td><p>1,160</p></td><td><p>8,524</p></td><td><p>36,353</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong> 50,652 </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> 48,625 </strong></p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>23,881</p></td><td><p>3,303</p></td><td><p>925</p></td><td><p>28,109</p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p>30,306</p></td><td><p>1,174</p></td><td><p>6,831</p></td><td><p>38,311</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br>Notes:
<br>1) Self-representation is determined by the field 'legal representation' in Familyman
being left blank. Therefore, this is only a proxy measure and parties without a recorded
representative are not necessarily self-representing litigants in person. Please note
that the latest quarters' figures may reduce in future publications, particularly
in regard to parties obtaining legal representation as cases progress. Therefore,
the latest quarter figures should be considered as provisional</p><p>2) In this instance
'at least one hearing' refers to non-vacated scheduled hearings, rather than actual
hearings that have taken place.</p><p>3) 'Unrepresented' refers to parties where the
REPRESENTATIVE_ID field has been left blank. Therefore, they should be considered
as parties without a recorded representative, rather than 'litigants in person'.</p><p>4)
'Other' can refer to Grandparents, Step-Parents, Special Guardians or Children.</p><p>5)
'Unknown' relations to child can occur in cases where relation to child is not requested
(e.g. if the applicant or respondent is a local authority). This is the case for 3%
of applicants and 23% of respondents given in the table.</p><p>6) 'Total number of
cases started' and 'Cases with at least one hearing' are included only for additional
context and will include hearings with represented parties.</p><p>7) The central data
system FamilyMan was fully rolled out by the end of 2010 and so any data prior to
this in FamilyMan is not complete and not shown in this table.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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