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Court worker union says Cafcass is in meltdown

1 min read Social Care
Family court workers' union Napo has launched a stinging attack on family court service Cafcass, accusing the government agency of failing frontline staff and being in "meltdown".

The union says that "frontline staff are struggling with soaring caseloads, low morale and resignations", and that too much of Cafcass's budget is being spent on head office costs.

It says that the head office budget has increased threefold and number of staff has doubled over the past four years.

Other problems highlighted by Napo include delays of 20 weeks or more on Family Court adjournments for reports on the best interests of children. These should take 12 to 14 weeks, but in Merseyside, for example, they are taking around 36 to 38 weeks, says Napo.

Cafcass is also struggling to keep hold of staff, according to the union. The average turnover of staff was one in 10 in the 12 months to September last year and has risen to one in five in some areas.

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