Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps is he taking to support victims of domestic violence through the family courts process.

We are committed to ensuring that victims of domestic abuse get the support they need throughout family court proceedings. The family court has a range of powers to protect victims. This includes the provision of special measures, the power to appoint an appropriately qualified person to undertake cross-examination instead of a perpetrator, and where repeated applications may be a continuing form of abuse the court can make order requiring a perpetrator to obtain the permission of the court before making a further application.

Alongside these existing protections we are rolling out the Child Focused Model nationally, which embeds referrals to local, specialist domestic abuse support services where domestic abuse is raised as an issue in the case. An Independent Domestic Violence Advisor delivers specialist support to victims, undertakes a risk assessment, and offers the court expert insights into the risks of domestic abuse in the case. This supports a holistic assessment of needs and risks and enables the court to make safe decisions without delay.