Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to help ensure that victims of domestic abuse are supported through the family courts system.

The Government recognises the impact family court proceedings can have on children and adult survivors of domestic abuse which is why we are is committed to halving incidences of violence against women and girls; reforming the family justice system so that victims of domestic abuse are supported is key to this.

The courts hearing family proceedings have the power to prohibit the cross-examination of domestic abuse survivors by their abusers. Victims of domestic abuse are automatically considered to be vulnerable when the court is determining whether to make special measures, such as allowing someone to give evidence by video link, or from behind a screen. The Family Procedure Rules and Practice Directions allow for Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and Independent Sexual Violence Advisers to accompany parties in the courtroom.

Central to the Department’s work on reforming the family justice system is the Pathfinder pilot. This entirely reformed court model uses a more investigative and less adversarial approach for private law proceedings relating to children and is currently operating in Dorset, North Wales, Birmingham and South-East Wales. The pilot seeks to improve the experiences of children and families in proceedings, in particular for survivors of domestic abuse, and reduce re-traumatisation. At the heart of this model is closer multiagency working which has led to improved communication, greater consistency in information and multi-disciplinary training. The pilot courts work closely with the specialist domestic abuse sector including Independent Domestic Abuse Advisers to ensure that adequate domestic abuse risk assessments and support is in place. We are exploring options for further rollout to ensure that more people can benefit from this approach.