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Cafcass has reported a continued increase in both public and private law demand during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, with private law applications driving most of the overall growth.
The latest monthly statistics, covering the period from 1 April to 30 June 2026, show that Cafcass received 15,328 new children's cases involving 23,494 children. This represents a 9.7% increase in case demand compared with the same period in 2025/26.
Private law cases accounted for the majority of the increase. Cafcass received 10,889 new private law children's cases involving 16,511 children during the quarter, a 12.6% increase in cases and an additional 1,815 children compared with the previous year.
Public law demand also increased, although at a slower rate. Between April and June 2026, Cafcass received 4,439 new public law children's cases involving 6,983 children, representing a 3.3% increase in cases compared with the same period last year.
The number of section 31 care applications also rose during the quarter. Cafcass received 3,153 new care applications involving 5,130 children, an increase of 3.3% in applications and 3.8% in the number of children involved compared with the previous year.
In June 2026 alone, Cafcass received 5,538 new children's cases involving 8,446 children. Average daily demand reached 252 children's cases per working day, compared with 224 cases per working day in June 2025.
The organisation also reported continued growth in its open caseload. At the end of June 2026, Cafcass was managing 29,150 open children's cases involving 46,645 children, an increase of 6.8% in both cases and children compared with June 2025.
Open private law cases increased more sharply than public law cases. Cafcass had 17,611 open private law cases involving 26,664 children at the end of June, representing annual increases of 9.5% in cases and 10.3% in the number of children.
By comparison, there were 11,539 open public law cases involving 19,981 children, an increase of 3.0% in cases and 2.5% in the number of children compared with the same point last year.
The latest figures continue a trend of rising demand for Cafcass services, with private law disputes following parental separation accounting for the largest proportion of the increase in new children's cases.
