Thousands of children to be supported thanks to multi-million expansion of innovation in family courts

Families, children, and victims of domestic abuse will be spared the trauma of going to court thanks to a multi-million-pound expansion of an innovative pilot across Wales and West Yorkshire. The £12.5 million funding boost comes as new figures published today (3 February) show the Pathfinder scheme is resolving cases faster, with family court backlogs reduced by half in pilot areas. The Pathfinder pilot works by bringing together local authorities, police, and support services to gather and share information on cases as early as possible. This saves children and families from having to go through unnecessary and potentially hostile hearings. As part of delivering on its Plan for Change and mission to halve violence against women and girls, the scheme also provides extra support to victims of domestic abuse.

New figures published today show the approach is working, with cases being resolved 11 weeks quicker, and the backlog of cases reducing by 50 per cent across both Dorset and North Wales. Lord Ponsonby, the Minister for Family Justice, said “For too long families have been pitted against each other in the courtroom, or abusers have hijacked proceedings to continue campaigns of cruelty. Children and vulnerable people bear the brunt of this, and it must stop. Pathfinder has been welcomed as a less adversarial approach, and early evidence shows it's working. This is another important step to achieving our promise of halving violence against women and girls.”

A primary focus of the courts is improving information sharing between agencies to allow for more informed decision-making, fewer bureaucratic hearings, less time in court, and quicker resolution to cases. The courts can also offer specialist support to victims of domestic abuse through Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs). To further help separating families resolve conflict, the Government’s family mediation vouchers scheme will also be extended to March 2026.

The programme, which provides £500 to help couples settle issues before they get to court, has helped over 37,700 families to date, with early analysis showing 70 per cent of recipients reach a whole or partial agreement thanks to mediation. Since the voucher scheme was introduced in April 2021, the number of applications being made to court has dropped, avoiding thousands of these cases a year, which could save taxpayers millions of pounds. There were 50,807 private law applications in 2023, compared to 55,711 in 2020. It also saves families, especially children, from a potentially lengthy and damaging court process.

Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs said, “Improving the Family Court is a key priority for my office. It is clear to me that Pathfinder Courts recognize the impact of domestic abuse and consider children's needs much earlier than in the traditional Family Court. I believe this approach is essential to ensuring the protection of victims in the family justice system. I welcome Government’s commitment to this pilot and look forward to seeing its influence on all Family Courts.” The family mediation voucher scheme was introduced in 2021 as a pilot to help relieve backlogs in the family court caused by the pandemic.