Research led by academics at Loughborough University, based on a pilot study across three Family Court sites which reviewed nearly 300 child arrangement case files, live observations of nearly 100 case hearings, as well as focus groups with domestic abuse survivors and interviews with judges, magistrates and Cafcass/Cafcass Cymru officers. The report provides unprecedented insight into the workings of the family justice system which has, until now, never been comprehensively collected.
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner found evidence of abuse within 73% of hearings it observed and in 87% of the case files it reviewed. Despite this prevalence, domestic abuse was frequently not recognised as an ‘active issue’ or taken seriously with regards to the type of contact children would go on to have with the abusive parent. In more than half of the cases reviewed by the Commissioner, unsupervised overnight contact was ordered.
Read the full report, executive summary and annex 2 data tables for court observations and case file reviews.