Family court statistics: what the quarterly MOJ data actually shows

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-31

Why statistics help you

If you are starting a family court case, the Ministry of Justice publishes Family Court Statistics Quarterly — official, free data on how long cases take, how many are issued, and how cases finish. It won't predict your outcome, but it calibrates your expectations: knowing the typical time to a final order in cases like yours stops two classic mistakes — panicking at week 8, and drifting at month 14 without chasing directions.

What the statistics cover

Private law (child arrangements, specific issue and prohibited steps orders): case starts, time from application to final order, how many cases have a Cafcass element.
Public law (care and supervision proceedings): care and supervision order volumes, the 26-week timeliness measure under the Children and Families Act 2014.
Divorce and dissolution: volumes since the no-fault regime began.
Financial remedy: how many applications are issued and how cases conclude (consent orders vs contested disposal).
Mediation: MIAMs and mediation starts/ends, including the voucher scheme.

Practical readings from the data

Private law final orders take many months, not weeks. Median times from application to final order run to roughly three-quarters of a year nationally, with wide regional spread. Build your plan, your evidence and your finances around a multi-month timeline.
Most contested financial remedy cases settle. The statistics show the majority of financial remedy cases never reach a contested final hearing — most conclude by consent or at an FDR. Preparing seriously for FDR (a realistic proposal, up-to-date disclosure) is therefore where most cases are actually won.
Care cases still frequently overrun 26 weeks. If you are a parent in public law proceedings, expect pressure and adjournments; use the timetable to prepare your own assessments and kinship proposals early.
Regional variation is real. The tables are broken down by court region (now HMCTS "regions and locations"). Your local family court's waiting times can differ a lot from the national median — check the tables for your region.

Where to find it

Search "Family Court Statistics Quarterly" on gov.uk. Each edition has data tables (Excel/CSV) going back years, plus a summary. Use the most recent edition and the previous year's equivalent quarter for comparison. Related official sources: Cafcass operation counts, the Law Society/Legal Aid Agency legal aid statistics, and HMCTS management information.

How to use the numbers without misusing them

Treat medians as planning figures, not promises — your case's complexity, safeguarding issues and local listing capacity dominate.
Never quote statistics at a judge as if they were entitlements; instead use them privately to set your budget, evidence deadlines and expectations.
If your case has been idle for far longer than the published norms with no directions in the pipeline, that is a legitimate, factual basis for polite chasing via the court office or a C2 application — the statistics give you the context for the enquiry.

Related pages on this site

Our family-court-timeline guide (stage-by-stage what happens when)
Our care-proceedings-26-week-timetable guide
Our financial-remedy-timeline guide
Our remote-video-hearings guide (listing realities)

Official links

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-court-statistics-quarterly
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

This page is general information, not legal advice. YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory and is not affiliated with HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice or gov.uk.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.