Kim Beatson, chair of the Solicitors Family Law Association, said early decisions about children's futures were often made in court before they had been allocated a guardian by Cafcass.
Cafcass said it had recruited more than 100 practitioners in the last year, but still had 45 vacant full-time equivalent positions. In its submission last year to a review by the Lord Chancellor's Department Select Committee - which later delivered a highly critical report - Cafcass said it had a budget for another 132 whole-time equivalent practitioners.
NAGALRO, which represents more than 500 children's guardians working for Cafcass, agreed that there were still delays in allocating cases.
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