Domestic Abuse: Courts

(asked on 19th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made on the current availability of specialist domestic violence courts.


Answered by
Tom Pursglove Portrait
Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This question was answered on 27th January 2022

Since January 2019 all magistrates’ courts across England and Wales have been required to use the Domestic Abuse Best Practice Framework. This introduced an expectation that cross-agency specialists should work together to enhance the service and support provided to, and experience of, those involved in domestic abuse cases. The framework was developed by identifying common components from high performing courts and aims to improve the capacity and capability of the criminal justice system to respond effectively to reports of domestic abuse offending. The framework includes:

  • A clear multiagency/community approach which addresses risk management and safeguarding procedures;
  • Independent Domestic Violence Advocate support;
  • Trained and consistently deployed staff across all agencies; and
  • In court services including proactive witness services, pre-trial familiarisation visits, and use of special measures. In some areas they have considered fast tracking or expedited trial systems.

Since 2019 all magistrates’ courts are expected to operate in accordance with the Domestic Abuse Best Practice Framework. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not hold data on how many Specialist Domestic Violence Courts sat between 2015 to 2021.

HMCTS does not provide dedicated funding for Specialist Domestic Violence Courts.

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