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Cafcass has published its strategic plan for 2026-2029, setting out how the organisation intends to build on its work with children and families in family proceedings while supporting the wider reform of the family justice system.
The strategy, titled Sustaining ambition for children: working together, building resilience, inspiring change, coincides with the organisation's 25th anniversary and outlines priorities for the approximately 130,000 children Cafcass works with each year.
The new plan retains the organisation's three existing strategic pillars – Practice, People and Partners – supported by nine priority programmes. A new area of focus, Child Focused Courts, has been added following the government's announcement in March that the model will be rolled out across all family courts in England and Wales by March 2029.
Cafcass said the reforms present a significant opportunity to improve experiences and outcomes for children and families involved in private law proceedings, particularly where domestic abuse is a feature of the case.
The organisation said the views of children and young people were central to the development of the strategy. Members of the Family Justice Young People's Board told Cafcass they wanted professionals who understand their experiences, build trust, explain court processes clearly and treat them as individuals rather than cases.
The strategy also reflects feedback from staff and justice system partners, with Cafcass seeking to align strategic objectives with improvements in frontline practice.
Chief Executive Jacky Tiotto said the organisation remained committed to ensuring children's voices are at the centre of decisions made about their lives during family proceedings.
She said Cafcass' primary responsibility is to protect children from harm, advise the courts on their welfare and best interests, and ensure children's experiences influence decision-making. The new strategy, she said, sets out how the organisation intends to sustain and strengthen that ambition over the next three years.
Justice Minister Baroness Levitt welcomed the publication of the strategy, describing it as a clear and ambitious plan that reflects Cafcass' role in safeguarding children and supporting families through the family court system.
Cafcass Deputy Chair Professor Eileen Munro said the strategy builds on progress made under the previous plan and continues the organisation's focus on strengthening relationships with children and young people, improving the quality of recommendations to the court and supporting practitioners in navigating complex welfare decisions.
The publication comes at a time of significant change within family justice, with the nationwide implementation of Child Focused Courts, rising private law demand and broader reforms aimed at improving outcomes for children and families across England and Wales.
