The professional association for court guardians and independent social workers said "huge increases" in paperwork and "knee-jerk reactions" to regulations have left vulnerable children without independent guardians for periods of five months or more.
The association said Cafcass' fear of critical reports from Ofsted is increasingly adding to demands on guardian's time.
Nagalro's chairman Ann Haigh said: "Our members now have to spend much more time filling in forms and ticking boxes. Managers in some teams have instructed Cafcass practitioners not to attend court hearings but instead to spend time rearranging their files according to new guidelines.
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