Rebranded pathfinder courts to expand nationwide with £17m funding to reduce delays in private law children cases
A rebranded “child-focused” approach to family justice will be extended across England and Wales, as the government seeks to reduce delays and improve the handling of private law children cases.
The Deputy Prime Minister has confirmed that Child Focused Courts formerly known as Pathfinder Courts will be expanded across the entirety of England and Wales.
Child Focused Courts are currently operating in 10 of the 43 family court areas across England and Wales, including nationwide coverage in Wales and regions such as Birmingham, the West Midlands, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and West Yorkshire.
Supported by £17m in government funding for the next financial year, the model will next be introduced in areas including Northumbria, Durham, Lancashire, Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Cheshire and Merseyside, Northamptonshire, and Coventry and Warwickshire, before being extended nationwide in phases.
The decision to extend the rollout of Child Focused Courts is a key pillar of the Plan for Change to protect children and clamp down on the scourge of domestic abuse. This will help halve violence against women and girls in a decade, tackle the backlog to repair the justice system after years of neglect, and deliver swifter and fair justice for all victims. The model will also bolster coordination between the family court and agencies.
Justice Secretary David Lammy said: ‘Court backlogs are not just numbers on a page. When it comes to the family courts, they represent victims waiting, families in limbo and children and domestic abuse victims left to linger in harm’s way. That is why the national rollout of the child focused courts matters so much. It will protect, support and hear the voices of children, helping family courts make safe and fair decisions without delay.
‘It also shows that, through innovative reforms, we can make our courts work better, tackle delays and bring down the backlog so more victims and families get the swift justice they deserve.’
Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner, said: “The Family Court should be a place of support and protection, and I’m pleased that we are now a step closer to making this a reality.”
Justice Minister Baroness Levitt KC said: “we can help spare more children the pain of drawn-out proceedings, deliver swifter justice for families while making sure support comes earlier when it is needed most, By rolling out Child Focused Courts nationally.”