I am pleased to announce today the national roll-out of the child-focused model, formerly known as the private law pathfinder, in the family courts.
The child-focused model implements substantial reform to private law children’s proceedings. With the help and close collaboration of hard-working professionals across the family justice system, the model delivers improvements to the court process and to the outcomes experienced by children and parents involved in these cases, including where domestic abuse has been a feature.
This Government remain steadfast in our commitment to tackle the scourge of domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. We are committed to halving VAWG within a decade, supported by systemic change across society and sustained support for victims right across the justice system. The national roll-out of the child-focused model will contribute to this through co-ordinated early identification of risk in the family court, ensuring that children are heard and that victims of domestic abuse are provided with specialist support.
The model is currently active in 10 out of 43 court areas across England and Wales, equivalent to around a quarter of relevant cases. Under the model, families benefit from a streamlined, problem-solving approach that brings forward a holistic assessment of needs and risks, and that enables the court to make safe decisions without delay. The percentage of children seen by social workers more than doubles. Victims of domestic abuse and other harms receive expert support from independent domestic violence advisers.
The model was first piloted in Dorset and North Wales in 2022, and learning from these original pilots has informed our approach to implementation in other areas. Evidence from across the existing pilot areas shows that it is working. The model reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma. The length of time that families are in proceedings has reduced significantly, with cases being resolved up to seven and a half months sooner. The backlog in pilot court areas more than halved, freeing up capacity for other proceedings. Learning suggests that the model is leading to significantly fewer cases per hearing and improvements in timeliness. The model requires all the dedicated professionals, magistrates and judges in our family courts to collaborate better and to adopt a problem-solving approach. A published process evaluation found that professionals are working more closely together and hearing the voice of the child.
The Government are committed to rolling out the child-focused model nationally over the next three years, investing £17 million in 2026-27 to fund the next expansion in the north east, the north west and the east midlands, which I announced in my statement of 25 February. This funding includes a permanent increase in social worker capacity for CAFCASS and CAFCASS Cymru, and for new domestic abuse specialists to work in the family courts. We will work to ensure that all areas are preparing for implementation of the model as part of a phased approach to roll-out that will see the model live across England and Wales by the end of this spending review period.
By putting victims at the heart of our approach, we are strengthening trust in the justice system and guaranteeing that the protection of children remains paramount.
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