ds in particular, local authority applications to the High Court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction in order to authorise the deprivation of a child in care’s liberty whilst in a placement have risen exponentially in recent years, although absolute numbers remain low relative to the whole child population. DoL order application statistics have only been published in national administrative data since July 2023. Prior to this, Cafcass (England) data on DoL order applications showed a 462% increase from 103 to 579 applications between 2017–18 and 2020–21. Data from the national DoL court showed 1,389 applications between July 2022 and June 2023 and 299 between April and June 2024 (Ministry of Justice, 2024). An evidence review for Nuffield Family Justice Observatory (Roe et al., 2022) developed a typology of categories of need of children and young people who are the subject of a DoL order application, broadly consisting of children who have experienced complex and ongoing trauma, have learning or physical disabilities or who are at risk of harms outside of the home, such as criminal exploitation. The review raised the serious concern that, despite the high level of complex needs these children and young people experience, ‘we do not know where these children are placed, what restrictions are placed on their liberty, or what their outcomes are’. HM Courts and Tribunals Service does not currently provide local authority level data for number of DoL order applications. Fifty-two per cent of SP9 survey respondents reported having increased their use of DoL orders over the past two years, although the volume of increase nationally suggests that this is a partial picture. The President of the Family Division, and other senior judges, have expressed ‘deep anxiety that the ch