- News & Comment
-
Online Shop
Online Services
Looseleafs
Law Reports
Books and eBooks
-
CPD & Events
Webinars
- Authors
- About Family Law
- Contact
New figures published by Cafcass show a significant increase in demand across the family justice system, with private law children cases rising sharply during the 2025–26 financial year and reaching their highest monthly level in five years.
According to Cafcass’ latest monthly statistics, 5,691 new children’s cases involving 8,710 children were received in March 2026 alone, representing the highest monthly demand since March 2021. Average daily demand also increased markedly, with 259 children’s cases received per working day in March 2026 compared with 230 during the same month last year.
Over the course of the financial year from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, Cafcass received 59,147 new children’s cases involving 91,061 children, marking a 7.2% increase on the previous year. The rise was driven primarily by private law proceedings, which increased by 8.2% year-on-year, with much of the growth occurring during the second half of the financial year.
Private law applications, which commonly arise following parental separation or divorce and concern arrangements for children, accounted for 42,172 new cases involving 63,879 children. Public law demand also rose, increasing by 4.7% to 16,975 cases involving 27,182 children.
The figures also reveal continued pressure on care proceedings. Cafcass received 12,082 new Section 31 care applications during the year, involving 19,846 children. This represented a 5.4% increase in applications compared with the previous financial year.
Outstanding caseloads continued to rise. At the end of March 2026, Cafcass had 29,313 open children’s cases involving 46,501 children, an increase of 6.5% compared with March 2025. Open private law cases rose by 9.2%, while open public law cases increased by 2.4%.
The data reflects wider pressures across the family justice system. Recent analysis by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory found that 2025 saw the steepest rise in private law applications in a decade, although overall volumes remain broadly comparable with pre-pandemic levels. The Observatory noted that the causes are likely to be multifaceted, including ongoing financial pressures on families, reduced community support services, and potential changes in how separating parents seek advice and resolve disputes.
The increase in demand comes as reforms continue across the Family Court system, including the expansion of the Child Focused Model, formerly known as Pathfinder, which aims to improve outcomes in private law proceedings through earlier information gathering and greater emphasis on the child’s experience.
Despite the rise in applications, national figures indicate that average case durations in both public and private law proceedings have continued to improve over the past year, although concerns remain about mounting caseload pressures in some regions.
