A great role hindered by micromanagement - Family Court Adviser/Social Worker Cafcass Employee Review

1.0
22 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Cafcass pays your SWE fees Some supportive experienced colleagues Personal IT equipment has been improved

Cons

Senior management is top heavy resulting in micromanagement of frontline staff. There is a disconnect between the reality for staff on the ground and the aspirations of senior management, most of whom have never set foot in court. The level of bureaucracy and box ticking has increased in recent years. It’s not uncommon for a case to be audited 3 times in a short space of time, by 3 different managers who will all pick on different things, depending on what is “flavour of the month” at the time. Unsurprisingly, staff are now leaving in droves. Some areas are experiencing unprecedented levels of staff turnover which make Local Authorities appear stable in comparison. The organisation has lost sight of why Cafcass was created in the first place, and its role and purpose in the family justice system. Attending a national Cafcass training event is like The Emperor’s New Clothes. It’s a desperately sad situation as the actual role- being the child’s voice in court- is an important one.

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2.0
21 July 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Good benefits - Amazing resources - Wonderful colleagues with a wealth of knowledge - Flexible working

Cons

- Induction is terrible with not enough time to learn, attend trainings and get to grips with the work before being fully allocated and feeling like you're drowning. Raise any concerns with management, you're just made to feel like it's all your fault. - NIS gives trainings, but the different teams work differently so you never know if you're doing the right thing and constantly getting in trouble as a result - - Poor retention of staff. Lots of team members going off sick and not coming back. - Most people don't get confirmed in post on time but managers refuse to realise it's because of the poor induction and pace of work for new starters. Many new starters end up leaving and going back to the LA. Managers are brutal when giving feedback and don't know how to manage teams. They give criticism instead of coaching. - High caseloads causing the whole team to work overtime with no pay. You are blamed for not managing time effectively - There is constant gaslighting and manipulation when you raise valid issues. You're told that some people just "aren't meant for Cafcass" and made to feel that you are the problem.

2
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