Found: Question 2: What impact will the Government’s refusal to implement the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act

Found: Domestic Abuse Protection Order where the subject has ‘been abusive’ within the meaning of s1 Domestic Abuse Act

Found: While the definition of domestic abuse comes from the Domestic Abuse Act and so includes sexual

Found: suggestion beyond intimate partners to domestic abuse within the meaning of sections 1 and 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: experiences and cases before the Harm Panel Report in 2020 and therefore also predating the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 further supports risk identification in family proceedings. 3.3 International

Found: assessing-risk-harm-children-parents-pl-childrens-cases-report_.pdf (Accessed: 09 March 2026) Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Domestic Abuse Act 2021, c. 17. (2021).

Found: Domestic Abuse Act 2021: provided additional protection to women experiencing homelessness, suitability

Found: It will mirror the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and the Stalking Protection Act 2019.

Found: SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE DOMESTIC ABUSE ACT 2021    DECLARATION OF INTERESTS as of 6 March 2026   

Found: Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee Uncorrected oral evidence: Domestic Abuse Act post-legislative scrutiny

Found: providers to ensure there is a shared understanding of the definition of domestic abuse in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: information relevant to victim-survivors of domestic abuse and gender-based violence such as the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Domestic Abuse, as set out in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act is not addressed at all (outside of a nominal

Found: Operationalise the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act 2023 end‑to‑end: algorithm‑assisted

Found: on our area of expertise: economic abuse as a form of domestic abuse as defined within the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: a creditor can enforce a debt that has arisen as a result of a criminal offence under the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: While there is general agreement that the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 has provided a better framework for

Found: criminal offence in its own right but it is listed as a form of abuse in subsection 3 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Ministry of Justice has produced some landmark enactments over the past decade, such as the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Reforming the Child Maintenance Report’ Recommendations, 9 January 2026 2 Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act

Found: received a representation, that the Lord Bishop of Derby should be proposed as a member of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The Immigration (Electronic Travel Authorisations) (Jersey) Order 2025 S.I. 2025/1222 The Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The measure seeks to align the SJS with section 77 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and Clauses 83 and

Found: proposing to the CMS will be much more effective in this regard than the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act

Found: Proposal 20) • 10.55am Baroness Bull – Numeracy for life (Proposal 21) • 11.05am Lord Laming – Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Uncorrected transcript: Special inquiry committee proposal - post-legislative scrutiny of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Life: from early years to later life – Baroness Bull and Lord Tarassenko (Proposal 21) • Domestic Abuse Act

Found: about 10.55am Baroness Bull – Numeracy for life (Proposal 21) • At about 11.05am Lord Laming – Domestic Abuse Act

Found: issuing of statutory guidance; see for example the analogous provision in section 77 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: consolidation, we would like to see the immediate implementation of the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Act

No description available

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory, specialist domestic abuse training for all housing officers in England.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government has not undertaken an assessment of mandating specialist domestic abuse training for all housing officers in England.

Local authorities, under their statutory duties in Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, are required to assess the need for and provide support for all victims of domestic abuse and their children while in safe accommodation. To support delivery of this duty, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided local authorities in England £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year, and £499 million funding will be allocated to local authorities over the next three years.

Statutory guidance to local authorities is available (Delivery of support to victims of domestic abuse in domestic abuse safe accommodation services - GOV.UK) providing further details on how the duty should be delivered, including the expectation for local authorities to strengthen their understanding of domestic abuse locally, which may include through training.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the definition of coercive and controlling behaviour within the Serious Crime Act 2015 to include extremist groups, cults and gangs.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Controlling or coercive behaviour (CCB) is an insidious form of domestic abuse. The CCB legislative framework was introduced in 2015 and was explicitly designed to address patterns of behaviour within relationships where the perpetrator and victim are “personally connected”, as outlined in Section 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Expanding CCB beyond this context would risk undermining that clarity, creating uncertainty for police to identify, investigate and prosecute this offence.

We do not intend to expand the CCB offence beyond its current scope at this time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to appropriate health and mental health support for families affected by violent behaviour from children in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst no such specific assessment has been made, we recognise that healthcare is often the first, and sometimes only, point of contact for victims of violence and abuse. Integrated care boards should commission services in response to locally identified need, which could include access to trauma-informed care for families affected by violence.

We have already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve access to National Health Service mental health services, but there is much more to do. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. As part of this we will accelerate the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams to reach full national coverage by 2029 and will expand NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.

All NHS staff must complete safeguarding training which includes a focus on violence and abuse. The training is being strengthened for launch in late 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and responding to victims and perpetrators of violence and abuse.

In addition, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Statutory Guidance provides information for frontline professionals on the presentation of violent behaviour by a child towards parents and caregivers. In addition, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 provides guidance on the multi-agency response to support and safeguard children, including those who are violent.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is in place to ensure that reports of violence by children towards parents or carers lead to appropriate safeguarding and support in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Prevention and early intervention with children and young people are fundamental to the government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade – including improving the response to child to parent or caregiver abuse.

‘The Domestic Abuse Act 2021: statutory guidance’ provides advice for frontline professionals and families to identify child to parent and caregiver abuse. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023’ provides guidance on the multi-agency response to support and safeguard children, including those using harm.

Since 2023 the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner has received Home Office funding to support their Steps to Change Hub via the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund. Funding supports delivery of Young People Using Violence and Abuse, a youth‑focused programme offering one‑to‑one support for young people who use violence or abusive behaviour towards family members, carers, siblings, or intimate partners.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he will take steps to ensure that individuals seeking a divorce are automatically eligible for legal aid in cases where evidence demonstrates that a child of the family has been subjected to abuse.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government recognises that legal aid – a vital part of the justice system – supports the ability of individuals to access publicly funded legal assistance to uphold their legal rights.

Legal aid is available for private family proceedings, such as divorce and financial remedy proceedings, if an adult is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. Funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests. The Government recognises that abuse may include behaviour directed at a third party, for example the victim’s child, to influence the victim. In May 2025, we amended the legislation to explicitly reflect this definition of domestic abuse; it now reflects the definition of domestic abuse from the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and it clarifies that behaviour, violence or abuse between individuals may consist of or include behaviour, violence or abuse directed at another individual.

Legal aid is available for individuals for some private family orders, such as child arrangement orders or prohibited steps orders, if the child who is the subject of the order is a victim of child abuse or at risk of abuse. This is subject to providing evidence of child abuse and passing the means and merits tests.

The Government monitors legal aid provision and is carefully considering the criteria that govern financial eligibility for legal aid.

Where an issue falls outside the scope of legal aid, eligible individuals may be able to obtain Exceptional Case Funding where they can show that, without the provision of legal aid, there is a risk that their human rights may be breached.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of reported incidents of violence against women and girls against under 16 year- olds in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East, and (e) England.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) covers a range of crimes, including rape and other sexual offences, stalking, harassment, domestic abuse related offences, and many others that disproportionately affect women and girls.

It is important to note that VAWG is often a hidden crime. The figures provided below only reflect offences that come to the attention of the police and therefore do not represent the full extent of victimisation. For example, the ONS estimates that only 6.1% of victims of sexual assault (including attempts) in the year ending March 2025 told the police about the offence.

Table 1 below provides the requested breakdown of VAWG offences, where held, recorded by the police using several offence classifications which are listed in Table 2.

Data is available for Police Force Area (PFA) and Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Area geographies, which includes

• Northumberland CSP Area
• Newcastle upon Tyne CSP Area
• The North East region
  (made up of Northumbria, Durham, and Cleveland PFAs)
• England as a whole

Information is not held centrally broken down by parliamentary constituencies.

Table 1: Total offences across all VAWG offence classifications where the victim was under 16 years old, by geography, year ending June 2025

Source: Police recorded crime from the Home Office and ONS population estimates

Notes:

1. Victim age data was not available in the Home Office Data Hub (HODH) for the following four forces and have been excluded from the England figures: Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Lincolnshire.

Table 2: VAWG offence classifications used in analysis

Note:

As well as the above specific offences classifications, VAWG also encompasses non-specific offences which have been flagged as VAWG-related. These include:

• Domestic abuse flagged offences
• Domestic homicides
• ‘Honour-based’ abuse (HBA) flagged offences

However, the definition of domestic abuse in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires both the victim and perpetrator are aged 16 years or above and so data on child victims are not included in the data provided.

Forces are only required to submit aggregate level data on ‘honour-based’ abuse flagged offences, so information on victim ages are not available for all offences. However, any ‘honour-based’ abuse flagged offence recorded under the VAWG offence classifications in Table 2 (such as Forced Marriage) will already be captured in the figures provided.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in Hexham constituency on legislative changes to recognise that under 16s can be victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Teenage relationship abuse can have devastating consequences, and we must never shy away from the reality of the harm it causes.

We are carrying out a scoping review of the legal framework for domestic abuse, which includes reviewing whether the age limit in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 should be changed to capture adolescent relationships. Alongside this, we are considering every option to tackle abuse in teenage relationships, including prevention and support for victims.

We have greatly appreciated the support and engagement of a wide range of stakeholders nationally, including in the North East, as we take forward the important work to tackle this harm which affects too many young people.

The upcoming VAWG Strategy will have more detail on the steps we are taking to respond to teenage relationship abuse.

The Minister has met with campaigners on this subject in the Hon. Friend’s constituency of Hexham.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in Northumberland on legislative changes to recognise that under 16s can be victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Teenage relationship abuse can have devastating consequences, and we must never shy away from the reality of the harm it causes.

We are carrying out a scoping review of the legal framework for domestic abuse, which includes reviewing whether the age limit in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 should be changed to capture adolescent relationships. Alongside this, we are considering every option to tackle abuse in teenage relationships, including prevention and support for victims.

We have greatly appreciated the support and engagement of a wide range of stakeholders nationally, including in the North East, as we take forward the important work to tackle this harm which affects too many young people.

The upcoming VAWG Strategy will have more detail on the steps we are taking to respond to teenage relationship abuse.

The Minister has met with campaigners on this subject in the Hon. Friend’s constituency of Hexham.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussion her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the North East on legislative changes to recognise that under 16s can be victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Teenage relationship abuse can have devastating consequences, and we must never shy away from the reality of the harm it causes.

We are carrying out a scoping review of the legal framework for domestic abuse, which includes reviewing whether the age limit in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 should be changed to capture adolescent relationships. Alongside this, we are considering every option to tackle abuse in teenage relationships, including prevention and support for victims.

We have greatly appreciated the support and engagement of a wide range of stakeholders nationally, including in the North East, as we take forward the important work to tackle this harm which affects too many young people.

The upcoming VAWG Strategy will have more detail on the steps we are taking to respond to teenage relationship abuse.

The Minister has met with campaigners on this subject in the Hon. Friend’s constituency of Hexham.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussion his Department has had with relevant stakeholders in Hexham constituency on legislative changes to recognise that under 16s can be victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. I regularly meet with my counterparts on this and we will publish our cross-government strategy as soon as possible.

Responsibility for the definition of domestic abuse as set out in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 sits with the Home Secretary. Responsibility for reported incidents of violence against women and girls also sits with the Home Office.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of reported incidents of violence against women and girls against under 16 year- olds in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East, and (e) England.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. I regularly meet with my counterparts on this and we will publish our cross-government strategy as soon as possible.

Responsibility for the definition of domestic abuse as set out in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 sits with the Home Secretary. Responsibility for reported incidents of violence against women and girls also sits with the Home Office.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders in Northumberland on legislative changes to recognise that under 16s can be victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. I regularly meet with my counterparts on this and we will publish our cross-government strategy as soon as possible.

Responsibility for the definition of domestic abuse as set out in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 sits with the Home Secretary. Responsibility for reported incidents of violence against women and girls also sits with the Home Office.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the North East on legislative changes to recognise that under 16s can be victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. I regularly meet with my counterparts on this and we will publish our cross-government strategy as soon as possible.

Responsibility for the definition of domestic abuse as set out in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 sits with the Home Secretary. Responsibility for reported incidents of violence against women and girls also sits with the Home Office.

Found: The Domestic Abuse Act 202124.  

Found: take proper care of the defendant and exercise proper control), (xiii)section 31(3) of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Explanatory Notes (PDF), January 2026, para. 5 28 As set out in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Domestic Abuse Act

Recognising pets in domestic abuse protection orders

We want the government to amend the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 so children under 16 who experience abuse at the hands of a parent or partner can be legally recognised as victims of domestic abuse. Every child affected deserves to be heard, protected, and supported in law and through services.

Found: hands of a parent or partner are not legally recognised as victims of domestic abuse under the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: harm caused by these circumstances and to reflect legislative definitions including in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: a relationship breakdown etc • victims and survivors of domestic abuse, as defined in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 • The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 • Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Opportunity: Comparison with the domestic abuse perpetrator strategy 6.44 A requirement of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Annex E Domestic Abuse The statutory definition of domestic abuse contained within the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The Domestic Abuse Act 2021, section 3 recognises that a child, classed as anyone under the age of

Found: are designated as the Tier One local authority for London, for duties under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: funding is to support local authorities in meeting their statutory duties under Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Wider policy context As from October 2021, part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act places new statutory duties

Found: In 2021, the Domestic Abuse Act marked a significant shift.

Found: and major legislative change – including reforms in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner is an independent voice that champions

Found: This includes reviewing the age limit in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Found: framework for domestic abuse, which includes a scoping review to consider the age limit in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: interventions.104 A three-year evaluation shows that the statutory duty introduced by Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Northern Ireland need only be three days. 3 There is an analogous provision in section 77 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Following the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children are considered victims in their own right if they witness

Found: Criminal Legal Aid for DAPOs made under section 31(3), (5) or (6) of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 on

Found: DAPO) – Billing Guidance DAPOs are a new type of protective injunction legislated for in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: domestic abuse by the police, social care and health services, despite introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: government/publications/child- safeguarding-practice-review-panel-annual-report-2023-to-2024 The Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Annex E Domestic Abuse The statutory definition of domestic abuse contained within the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Economic abuse is a crime, and is defined in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Found: The Domestic Abuse Act (2021) recognises children as victims of domestic abuse if the child sees, hears

Found: investigating housing complaints, since the new duties for councils were introduced in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The pilot for DAPNs and DAPOs under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 commenced on 27 November 2024 in Greater

Found: The pilot for DAPNs and DAPOs under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 commenced on 27 November 2024 in Greater

Found: The duty referred to in 2.3.2 refers to the duty placed on local authorities in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The duty referred to in 2.3.2 refers to the duty placed on local authorities in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The Domestic Abuse Act 202124.  

Found: who have witnessed domestic abuse (considered victims in their own right as defined by the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: After Clause 121, insert the following new Clause— “Domestic abuse protection orders (1) The Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Guidance about honour -based abuse ” broadly reflect the approach taken in section 84 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: , which amends the Domestic Abuse Protection Order (“DAPO”) regime provided for in the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Domestic abuse The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2021.

Found: build to rent homes; ‘Ask and Act’ powers and; on the provisions relating to Part 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: proportionate growth in group 1 was a 21% increase in the sentenced population with an index ‘Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the 5 Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the 5 Domestic Abuse Act

Found: The definition of abuse has also been widened by the Bill, bringing it into line with the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the 5 Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the 5 Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Chapter, “abuse” means— (a) domestic abuse within the meaning given by section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act

Found: Subsequent UK legislation, including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, further strengthens protections for