Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what training magistrates and judges sitting in Family Courts receive on domestic abuse.

To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lord Chief Justice (LCJ), the Senior President of Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for judicial training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College.

Family judges and magistrates receive training on Domestic Abuse as part of induction training, which they must complete before they hear any cases, and in ongoing continuation training. Most recently, updated digital training was launched in Autumn 2021, and updated face-to-face training rolled out from April 2022. The content covers all areas recognised as abuse, ranging from serious sexual and other assaults and covering emotional abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, including financial coercion and control, as well as the impact not just on survivors, but their children and wider family.