Under the protocol, first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, less urgent children’s cases are dispatched to an ‘allocation hub’ while higher risk cases are prioritised with a 14-week deadline.
Cafcass said existing pressures have been heightened by an ‘acute’ rise in private family law applications it has received, with a 27% increase in London between April and July 2023 (compared to the same period in 2022).
Public law cases will not be affected.
Cafcass Chief Executive, Jacky Tiotto said: ‘Over the past two years, there has been a high degree of collaboration and support from local family court judges in maintaining the current system and preventing prioritisation. However, the rising number of private law family court applications and the additional work caused by delay has meant that we have had to make [this] difficult decision.’
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