Cafcass Trends: What the Latest Figures Mean for Families (April–October 2025)

Cafcass has published its latest figures showing how many families are going through the Family Court. These numbers help parents understand the level of demand on the system and give an idea of what is happening nationally in both private law cases (disputes between parents) and public law cases (local authority involvement).

How Many New Cases There Have Been

Between April and October 2025, Cafcass received more than 34,000 new children’s cases, involving over 52,000 children. This is a rise compared with the same time last year, meaning more families are turning to the Family Court for help or because of concerns raised by the local authority.

Even though more new cases are starting, the number of ongoing cases has actually gone down slightly. At the end of October, there were around 27,500 open cases involving just over 44,000 children. This shows that, despite higher demand, the system is managing to move cases forward more effectively than before.

What Happened in October 2025

In October alone, there were more than 5,400 new cases. On an average working day, this meant about 238 new cases came in, which is higher than last year. This gives a sense of how busy the courts and Cafcass professionals are, and why some families may experience delays while waiting for assessments or hearings.

Public Law Cases (When the Local Authority Is Involved)

Public law cases include situations where social services raise concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing. Between April and October 2025, over 10,000 new public law cases were sent to Cafcass.

A large number of these relate to care applications made by local authorities. In this period, there were more than 7,100 applications for care orders. This is an increase from last year and means more children are being brought into the system because professionals believe they may need extra protection.

Even with these increases, the number of open public law cases at the end of October was slightly lower than a year earlier. This suggests that, although demand is rising, cases are still progressing through the system.

Private Law Cases (Disagreements Between Parents)

Private law cases happen when parents or carers cannot agree on arrangements for their children, such as who the child lives with or how often they spend time with each parent. Between April and October 2025, almost 24,000 of these cases were received by Cafcass.

These cases make up the majority of Cafcass’s work. Despite the high number of new applications, the number of open private law cases at the end of October was lower than the previous year, and there were fewer children waiting for decisions.

What This Means for Parents

Although more families are needing help from the Family Court, the number of outstanding cases is reducing compared with last year. This means that, although delays can still happen, cases are moving through the system rather than building up.

For parents involved in either private law or public law cases, these figures show a system under pressure but still processing cases steadily. Understanding this wider picture can help explain waiting times and the level of work being managed by Cafcass Family Court Advisers.