There are at least two serious reports a week of practitioners facing unacceptable threats, abusive messages or being treated disrespectfully on court premises, says Cafcass, as it pledges action to tackle bullying and harassment of staff.
Social workers are facing increasing levels of harassment from adults in the family courts, Cafcass has warned.
The family courts body said there were at least two serious reports a week of its staff facing threats or abuse while on court premises.
The news came as trade union Napo raised concerns about the number of Cafcass staff who reported experiencing bullying or harassment, in response to the organisation’s staff survey this year.
The union also flagged up survey findings showing that workload was a significant issue for many practitioners, which comes against the backdrop of Cafcass facing significantly increased demand year on year.
Increasing harassment of Cafcass practitioners
In a statement on the findings of its staff survey, which was carried out in March and received responses from 76% of workers, a Cafcass spokesperson said: “It is worrying to us that incidents of threatening and harassing behaviour from adult parties in proceedings are increasing.
“There are upwards of two serious reports every week where our people receive unacceptable threats, abusive messages or are treated disrespectfully in the physical confines of the family court.”
The spokesperson added that the issue was “a strategic and leadership priority” for the organisation.
Reports of bullying at work
Though Cafcass has not published the results of the survey, Napo shared some of the data in a post on its website.
The union said 7% of respondents – 117 staff – had reported experiencing bullying or harassment, with half of them not knowing how to report the issue.
It added that the problem had been raised in six of Cafcass’s 19 operational service areas and in some corporate teams, and said this meant the organisation should treat it as a national priority.
In response, the Cafcass spokesperson said: “We take all reports of bullying and harassment seriously and are committed to maintaining a safe and respectful working environment for everyone.
“This includes any colleague who reports not being well treated at work. No professional should feel unsafe and we are prioritising decisive and swift protective interventions.”
Workloads ‘are and feel high’
In a briefing on the survey results in a report to Cafcass’s board meeting in July, chief executive Jacky Tiotto said: Colleagues see a strong commitment to our ambition and values, we are making positive organisational improvements, new colleagues feel welcomed and well-equipped and there is deep understanding of our Together practice framework.
“Managers are supportive and kind. Workloads are and feel high. A strong commitment to improvement means practice change is regular – this is challenging.”
Cafcass is facing increasing demand, particularly in private law. The total number of new cases it received from April to July 2026 was 10.3% on the same period in 2025, with a 13.4% rise in private law specifically.
This was reflected in the caseloads carried by practitioners in its work to first hearing private law teams, where the average rose from 29.7 in June 2025 to 34.5 in June 2026. However, there has been a slight reduction in caseloads for staff in long-term teams, which fell from 18 to 17.5 in the year to June 2026.
Union’s call to action to tackle workloads
In its report on the survey results, Napo said that there were “many positive responses” to the survey, “focused around the work itself along with professional pride and strong team connections”.
However, it reported that 68% of respondents had said that having the resources to do their roles well was a challenge.
The union said it had called on Cafcass to:
- carry out a time-and-motion study – recording the time taken to carry out tasks – to inform a workload measurement tool;
- implement a transparent way for staff to record the accruing of time off in lieu (TOIL);
- encourage all staff to take their owed TOIL and ask all managers to encourage and ensure the same.
It claimed that, in response, Cafcass had said that it did not agree with carrying out a time-and-motion study and that it believed the current TOIL policy was appropriate and proportionate.
Cafcass ‘working to identify improvements’ on back of survey
The Cafcass spokesperson added: “Following every annual survey, this year being no exception, we engage with colleagues through national, regional and local discussions to understand the results in more detail.
“Leaders are also working directly with their teams to identify meaningful areas for improvement. National priorities are set down in our strategic plan… Regional and local priorities are integrated into in regional improvement plans.
“Progress is reviewed as part of our national performance accountability framework which requires regular updates from senior leaders and managers about progress and change.”
Source: Community Care
