Our strategic priorities

This section sets out Cafcass’ strategic priorities, including our workforce approach and our programme of work to improve outcomes for children and families. 

Our current priorities are outlined in our Strategic Plan for 2026–2029 - Sustaining ambition for children: working together, building resilience, inspiring change. 

As we mark 25 years of supporting children and families through the family courts, this strategy looks ahead to how we will continue our commitment that children should be able to say they have experienced an exceptional service from Cafcass — wherever they are in the country and every time they engage with us. The plan sets out the difference we want children to experience, the standards we set for ourselves, and how we will measure our progress. 

Our ambitions: 2026–2029 

Our strategic plan continues to focus on three core ambitions: Practice, People and Partners, supported by nine priority programmes that will guide delivery and implementation of the work over the next three years. 

In addition, the plan introduces a further area of focus on Child Focused Courts, reflecting significant national reform across private law proceedings. This creates an opportunity to improve how the system identifies and responds to harm, ensures children are heard earlier, and delivers better, safer outcomes, particularly for those affected by domestic abuse. 

Together, these priorities emphasise the importance of strong system leadership, consistent practice, and a culture shaped by what children need to be safe, supported and heard. 

Practice ambition 

Cafcass’ practice ambition is to enable all children to tell us that they have had an exceptional experience when they engage with us, everywhere and every time. Priority One is to further improve the quality and impact of practice and reduce local variation, because children everywhere should receive an exceptional service from everyone they engage with at Cafcass. Priority Two is to seek out and learn from feedback, giving all children who engage with Cafcass the opportunity to say what impact this has had on their lives and the difference it has made. Priority Three is to enable Cafcass systems to better support practitioners, so that family court advisers can prioritise the variety of their work and engagement with children.  

People ambition 

Cafcass’ people priorities reflect its belief that children and families are best served by diverse, well-supported and skilled professionals. Priority Four is to attract, engage and retain highly skilled people, with a continued focus on recruitment and retention, and on reducing sickness absence to ease pressures in some areas. Priority Five is to provide a safe, child focused and modern environment that works for colleagues, through a stronger focus on their health, safety and security, and developing a digital strategy to enable greater efficiencies through new digital technologies. Priority Six is to lead and govern well, because strong leadership and sound decision-making are ultimately safer for children and families.   

Partner ambition 

Cafcass’ partners priorities reflect the reality that nothing in the family justice system can be achieved by Cafcass alone. Priority Seven is to improve children’s safety and experiences of proceedings, recognising that children and families need support from professionals to protect them from harm and the risk of further harm. Priority Eight is to collaborate and influence to reduce delay in proceedings, because the family justice system needs to work more decisively together to improve outcomes for children. Priority Nine is to collaborate and influence to lead and implement Child Focused Courts, because child and adult victims of domestic abuse deserve earlier and better help and protection.  

Child Focused Courts practice change programme 

The introduction of child-focused courts creates a generational opportunity. More children will be heard, earlier in proceedings, and harm – and the risk of future harm – will be identified more quickly. We will work to implement this new model for private family law proceedings across all English court areas, delivering effective and timely outcomes that are safe for child and adult victims of domestic abuse. We will resource and lead our transformation programme – working closely with the Ministry of Justice-led programme board overseeing implementation of the Model – because transformation only happens with the right resource, leadership and good governance.   

Our strategic plan and progress 

We will monitor and report on our progress against our strategic priorities throughout the life of the plan. Children have told us what is important to them in family court proceedings and we have set this out against each strategic priority. In addition, we have developed a range of performance data and success measures to help us to determine the progress we are making. It is the combination of these things that tell us whether we are achieving what we intend for children. 

Learn more by reading the full strategic plan, 'Sustaining ambition for children: working together, building resilience, inspiring change', or accessing our shorter summary version. We’ve also created a simple animation that explains and summarises the strategy’s key aims, priorities and ambitions, and its intended impact for children and families: