By Charlotte Webster-
Social workers working in England’s family courts are facing a growing level of threats, abusive messages and disrespectful behaviour from adults involved in cases, with Cafcass warning that serious incidents are now being reported at least twice every week.
The warning from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service(Cafcass) comes as concerns about staff wellbeing, bullying and mounting workloads emerge from the organisation’s latest annual staff survey. The findings have prompted fresh calls from the trade union Napo for Cafcass to take stronger action to protect practitioners and address the pressures created by rising demand.
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Cafcass, which provides independent advice to courts in cases involving children and families, said the increase in threatening and harassing behaviour was a serious concern. A spokesperson said there were “upwards of two serious reports every week” involving staff receiving unacceptable threats, abusive messages or being treated disrespectfully within the physical environment of the family court.
The organisation said tackling the problem had become a strategic and leadership priority, stressing that staff should be able to carry out their work without feeling threatened or unsafe. It said it was committed to taking decisive action where concerns were raised and putting protective measures in place.
The warning comes against a backdrop of increasing pressure on Cafcass practitioners. Demand for the service has continued to rise, particularly in private family law cases, placing additional demands on professionals who are already reporting heavy workloads.
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Cafcass’s staff survey, carried out in March, received responses from 76% of its workforce. Although the organisation has not publicly released the full findings, Napo has highlighted several areas of concern from the results, including reports of bullying and harassment and difficulties faced by staff trying to manage their workloads.
According to the union, 7% of respondents — representing 117 members of staff — said they had experienced bullying or harassment. Of those who reported such experiences, half said they did not know how to report the problem. Napo said concerns had been identified across six of Cafcass’s 19 operational service areas, as well as in some corporate teams. The union argued that the issue therefore needed to be treated as a national priority rather than as a series of isolated workplace incidents.
Cafcass said it takes every report of bullying and harassment seriously and wants to maintain a workplace where staff are treated with dignity and respect. The organisation said this commitment extends to colleagues who believe they have not been treated properly by others at work.
“No professional should feel unsafe,” a Cafcass spokesperson said, adding that the organisation was prioritising “decisive and swift protective interventions”.
The concerns over staff safety are being compounded by the demands of an increasingly busy family justice system. Cafcass recorded a 10.3% increase in new cases between April and July 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, while private law cases rose by 13.4%.
The growing caseload is particularly evident among practitioners working in teams dealing with private law cases through the first hearing stage. The average caseload for those practitioners increased from 29.7 cases in June 2025 to 34.5 cases in June 2026. While caseloads in some areas have increased sharply, the picture is not uniform across the organisation. Practitioners working in long-term teams saw their average caseload fall slightly, from 18 cases to 17.5 over the same 12-month period.
The figures underline a wider concern about whether practitioners have enough time and resources to perform a role that can involve highly sensitive and emotionally charged disputes between families. In a report to the Cafcass board in July, chief executive Jacky Tiotto acknowledged that workloads were a significant challenge.
She said colleagues demonstrated a strong commitment to the organisation’s values and that there was a positive sense of professional pride, supportive management and strong connections between teams. But she also recognised that workloads were “and feel” high, with the organisation’s continuing programme of practice improvements adding another layer of pressure for employees.
Napo said the survey contained many positive responses, particularly around the work itself, professional pride and relationships within teams. However, the union highlighted the fact that 68% of respondents said having sufficient resources to perform their roles well was a challenge.The union has called for a number of measures to tackle the pressure. Among its proposals is a time-and-motion study, which would examine how long practitioners spend completing different tasks and could be used to develop a more transparent method of measuring workloads.
Napo has also called for clearer arrangements for recording time off in lieu, known as TOIL, and for staff to be encouraged to take the time they have accumulated. The union said Cafcass did not agree that a time-and-motion study was necessary and considered its existing TOIL policy to be appropriate and proportionate.
The dispute over workloads and staff wellbeing comes at a particularly sensitive time for the family justice system, where delays and increasing demand can have consequences for children and parents waiting for decisions about their lives. Cafcass said it was continuing to examine the findings of its annual survey and engage with employees at national, regional and local levels. Leaders are working with teams to identify areas where improvements can be made, while priorities are being incorporated into regional and local improvement plans.
The organisation’s response suggests that the problems identified by staff will not be addressed through a single measure. Alongside attempts to manage rising workloads, Cafcass faces the more immediate challenge of ensuring practitioners are protected from threatening or abusive behaviour while carrying out their duties.
The issue for the professionals at the heart of family court proceedings is ultimately about whether they can do their jobs safely and effectively. As demand continues to rise, the warnings from Cafcass and Napo point to a workforce under growing strain — and a family justice system increasingly reliant on practitioners who say they need greater protection, resources and support to meet the demands placed upon them.
A spokesperson for Cafcass told The Eye Of Media.Com: ”
Cafcass takes the safety, wellbeing and experience of its staff extremely seriously. Our practitioners carry out vital work supporting children and families through some of the most difficult and emotionally challenging circumstances, and no member of staff should have to face threats, abuse, harassment or disrespectful behaviour as part of doing their job.
“We are concerned by the increase in incidents involving unacceptable behaviour from adults involved in family proceedings. We recognise that people involved in family court proceedings may be under considerable emotional pressure and may strongly disagree with decisions or professional assessments. However, there is a clear distinction between legitimate challenge and behaviour that threatens, intimidates or abuses our colleagues.
“We will not tolerate violent, abusive or threatening behaviour towards anyone working on behalf of Cafcass. We have processes in place to support colleagues and respond appropriately when incidents are reported, and we are prioritising decisive and swift protective interventions where necessary.
“We also take reports of bullying and harassment within our organisation seriously. Every colleague should feel safe, respected and able to raise concerns about their treatment at work. No professional should feel unsafe, and we are committed to maintaining a working environment in which concerns are listened to and acted upon.
“We recognise that workloads are high in parts of the organisation, reflecting continued growth in demand for Cafcass services, particularly in private law. We are monitoring demand and caseloads closely and working with teams to identify meaningful improvements while ensuring that the quality and safety of our work with children and families remain at the heart of what we do.
“Following every annual survey, leaders work directly with colleagues and teams to understand the issues raised and identify practical areas for improvement. National priorities are reflected in our strategic plan, while regional and local priorities are incorporated into improvement plans.
“Our focus remains on ensuring that Cafcass practitioners have a safe, supportive and respectful working environment, with the resources and support they need to carry out their important work effectively and keep the needs and welfare of children at the centre of our service.”
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