Between 2004 and 2007 three separate bodies undertook reviews relating to care proceedings with the aim of reducing delays and/or cutting costs. These were: the Judicial Review Team appointed by the President of the Family Division to review the Protocol of Judicial Case Management in Public Law Children Act cases; the joint Department for Education and Skills and Department of Constitutional Affairs review of the care proceedings system; and Lord Carter's review of legal aid procurement and the Legal Services Commission's consultation which followed it. This article outlines the limited evidence base available to these reviews and discusses the approaches they took to identifying problems and devising solutions.