Skip to main content

Publication, Part of

Guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983, England - 2018-19, 2019-20 & 2020-21

Official statistics, National statistics

Publication Date:
21 Oct 2021
Geographic Coverage:
England
Geographical Granularity:
Country, Regions, Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs), Government Office Regions, Local Authorities
Date Range:
01 Apr 2018 to 31 Mar 2021
National Statistics

Current Chapter

Guardianship under the Mental Health Act 1983, England - 2018-19, 2019-20 & 2020-21

View all

Next Chapter

Introduction and Key Points
Page contents

Summary

This publication contains information on the use of Guardianship orders under Sections 7 and 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983 during the reporting period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2021, and includes yearly time series since 2003-04. The data is collected directly from councils in England, also known as ‘local authorities’ in this publication. Local authorities usually assume the role of the guardian.

Twenty one local authorities did not provide a data return.

New cases of Guardianship

New cases continue to decline in England. Reported new cases totalled 75 in 2018-19, 55 in 2019-20 and 55 in 2020-21. Since recording began, at their peak in 2006-07 there were 470 new cases in a year.

Numbers of continuing cases

Cases open at the year-end are also falling, as cases close and fewer new cases are opened. As at 31 March 2021, 155 people in England were reported as subject to a Guardianship order, almost 50% fewer than at the same point the last time the data was published in 2018.

Cases closed

115 cases were reported as closed in 2018-19, 80 in 2019-20 and 65 in 2020-21.

Coverage

Of the 152 local authorities in England (including the 21 non-submitters) only 36 reported new cases in 2018-19, 36 in 2019-20 and 35 in 2020-21, whilst 60 local authorities reported having cases remaining open at the end of 2020-21.

Adult Social Care Analytical Hub

Open the interactive charts and visualisations

This tool is in Microsoft Power BI which does not fully support all accessibility needs.  If you need further assistance, please contact us for help.

Last edited: 29 November 2023 9:09 am