Civil service pay remit sets limit for Cafcass social workers

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All government departments will be able to increase their average pay bills by 3.25% in 2025-26, with an additional 0.5% available to deal with specific workforce issues, such as low pay or recruiting to fill roles where skills are scarce.

The remit applies both to central government departments and to so-called non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), such as Cafcass, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Within the envelope it has been set, the MoJ will specify a pay remit for Cafcass, covering both the headline rise in staff salaries and other increases in the wage bill, such as for pay progression within a role.

This will form the basis of negotiations between Cafcass and the two unions represented at the family courts body, Napo and UNISON. However, the process leaves Cafcass very little room for manoeuvre in setting pay for staff.

Last year, the MoJ permitted Cafcass to increase its overall wage bill by 5%, in line with the overall civil service remit, from which it provided staff with a 4.43% headline increase in salaries, with the remainder funding other pay costs.