Gender pay reporting

In line with UK legislation as a public-sector organisation employing more than 250 employees, Cafcass is required to report on our Gender Pay Gap. This must be reported by no later than 30 March 2025 and is based on a snapshot of workforce data as at 31 March 2024. Gender Pay Gap reporting is required to include the following six measures:

1. Mean Gender Pay Gap - The difference between the mean hourly rate of pay of male employees and that of female employees
2. Median Gender Pay Gap – The difference between the median hourly rate of pay of male employees and that of female employees
3. Mean Bonus Gap – The difference between the mean bonus pay paid to male employees and that paid to female employees
4. Median Bonus Gap – The difference between median bonus pay paid to male employees and that paid to female employees
5. Bonus Proportions – The proportions of male and female employees who were paid a bonus during the reporting period
6. Quartile Pay Bands – The proportions of male and female employees in the lower, lower middle, upper middle and upper quartile pay bands

Gender Pay Gap figures show the difference in average pay between all men and women in the workforce. This is different from Equal Pay which compares pay between individual men and women doing the same jobs, similar jobs, or work of equal value. Cafcass is committed to ensuring Equal Pay and operates a multi-factor job evaluation scheme to ensure this is achieved.

Cafcass’ Gender Pay Gap Reporting for 2024 shows that across our whole workforce, our female employees on average earn 0.2% more per hour than male employees. This is a decrease of 2.4% from the previous year and the first year that we have reported a negative value. For employees in the middle of the workforce (median average) there is no difference in pay for either gender. This is the same as the previous year. 

Cafcass does not operate any form of performance bonus payments and only a very small number of employees are eligible to receive any other form of additional payment. Due to the small numbers involved this figure is highly susceptible to significant levels of skew. In this year’s figures a small number of employees received attraction/recruitment payments to support our talent attraction strategies and these were paid in greater proportion and at higher mean average values to female employees.

The Cafcass workforce as at 31 March 2024 was 86.0% female and 14.0% male which was unchanged from the previous year. The significant majority of our employees are undertaking frontline social work roles, and our gender distribution is generally in line with the wider social work sector.

The significant majority of our workforce are Family Court Advisers who receive the same rate of pay regardless of gender. Our pay quartile data demonstrate that male employees are proportionately more likely to occupy roles in the upper and lower quartiles. Female employees are more likely to work in roles within the middle two quartiles. Although female employees are slightly underrepresented in the upper quartile three out of four Executive Directors in Cafcass are female.

We provide training for managers in recruitment and selection to ensure decisions on appointments at all levels in the organisation are fair, transparent and free of any form of bias, including in relation to gender. Managers are also required to attend training which enables them to effectively support the performance and learning of all employees so that there is equal opportunity for career progression. Cafcass has a well-established talent pathway called Emerging Talent. Female participation in the programme is broadly in line with the gender distribution in the workforce and over a number of years, female participants have been shown to be more likely to achieve promotion evidencing that gender is not a barrier to progression within Cafcass.

We have received external recognition for our flexible working practices which enable all employees to balance their work alongside other commitments, including family and caring responsibilities, thereby removing barriers to career development and progression.