CAFCASS caseload sees more families in court

An increase in CAFCASS caseload sees more families in court

Any court proceedings in the Family courts relating to children more often than not have a CAFCASS officer connected to them. CAFCASS stands for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. They represent the interests of children and young people in family court cases in England by independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. CAFCASS have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children going through the family justice system. They are also the largest employer of qualified social workers in England so are deeply committed to making a positive difference to each child.

CAFCASS have recently published their most recent statistics as to their current workload. In May 2024 Cafcass received 4,773 new children’s cases. This equates to CAFCASS assisting 7,321 children in England and Wales. The average daily demand level in May 2024 was 227 children’s cases per working day. At the end of May 2024 there were 29,819 open outstanding children’s cases and whilst this sounds like a lot, it is actually 2,142 fewer children’s cases (6.7%) compared to May 2023.

However, CAFCASS overall have seen an increase in their case load. For the financial year to date (April 2024 – 31 May 2024) they have seen:

• An increase in public law children’s cases – those involving a Local Authority (up +11.7% / +284 children’s cases);
• An increase in private law children’s cases – those involving just the parents of the child (up +11.7% / +713 children’s cases).

Court proceedings should be a last resort and it is important that the parties in dispute try every other non-court related dispute resolution available to them. Whether this is mediation, arbitration, collaborative round table discussions etc all should be explored thoroughly before making a court application. At Kerseys our experienced family solicitors can advise on all the options available and the likely costs involved so that an informed choice can be made.

Contact our experienced family law solicitors today and find out more about our initial consultation process at Kerseys Solicitors in Ipswich at [email protected]
or telephone 01473 213311 or Kerseys Solicitors in Felixstowe at [email protected] on 01394 834557 or Kerseys Solicitors in Colchester at [email protected] on 01206 584584.