The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduced a broad statutory definition of domestic abuse, expressly including emotional and psychological abuse.

The procedure to be followed in family law cases is set out in the Family Procedure Rules and practice directions. Practice Direction 12J (‘PD12J’) applies in child arrangement proceedings where there are allegations or risk of domestic abuse. PD12J applies the definition of domestic abuse used in the Domestic Abuse Act, so includes psychological and emotional abuse. In such cases, PD12J sets out the steps the courts must take in order to assess risk and ensure that any decisions about arrangements for a child are safe and in a child’s best interests.

The Government is committed to rolling out Child Focused Courts nationally within the next three years. The Child Focused model embeds referrals to local, specialist domestic abuse support services when domestic abuse is raised as an issue in the case. An Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) delivers specialist, victim-centred emotional and practical support to victims of domestic abuse. Under the model, the IDVA also undertakes a risk assessment and provides the court with expert insights into the risks of domestic abuse in the case.

Cafcass’ domestic abuse practice policy came into force in September 2024 and sets out the actions for Cafcass practitioners and managers to take when working with children and adults who have experienced domestic abuse. The policy refers to the relevant sections of PD12J, referencing emotional and psychological abuse.

Over the last two years as Cafcass has been developing its domestic abuse policy and updating its guidance, it has worked with key partners, including fathers’ groups.

In addition to this, Cafcass works with external organisations to support the development of its domestic abuse policy and the child impact and assessment framework. This includes engagement through the Domestic Abuse Practice Reference Group. This group, established in November 2023, includes specialist domestic abuse expertise and individuals with lived experience. The group is co‑chaired by the Family Justice Young People’s Board and the domestic abuse charity SafeLives. SafeLives is a charity focused on survivors of domestic abuse regardless of the gender of either the victim or the perpetrator.

Cafcass works in partnership with SafeLives, including through seconded specialist advisers, to inform ongoing practice improvement. The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of the balance of Cafcass’ stakeholder representation.

Senior leaders engage regularly with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and her team.  As part of its commitment to learning from practice, Cafcass managers and leaders will meet with adults and children in proceedings if it is considered appropriate. This could include as part of complaints resolution, audit feedback and/or in response to an incident where the quality of practice is considered to have been less than good.

Neither Cafcass nor the Ministry of Justice has entered into any contracts, awarded grants, or commissioned research projects in connection with the revision of domestic abuse practice frameworks since 2016.

Over the last two years as Cafcass has been developing its domestic abuse policy and updating its guidance, it has worked with key partners, including fathers’ groups.

In addition to this, Cafcass works with external organisations to support the development of its domestic abuse policy and the child impact and assessment framework. This includes engagement through the Domestic Abuse Practice Reference Group. This group, established in November 2023, includes specialist domestic abuse expertise and individuals with lived experience. The group is co‑chaired by the Family Justice Young People’s Board and the domestic abuse charity SafeLives. SafeLives is a charity focused on survivors of domestic abuse regardless of the gender of either the victim or the perpetrator.

Cafcass works in partnership with SafeLives, including through seconded specialist advisers, to inform ongoing practice improvement. The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of the balance of Cafcass’ stakeholder representation.

Senior leaders engage regularly with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and her team.  As part of its commitment to learning from practice, Cafcass managers and leaders will meet with adults and children in proceedings if it is considered appropriate. This could include as part of complaints resolution, audit feedback and/or in response to an incident where the quality of practice is considered to have been less than good.

Neither Cafcass nor the Ministry of Justice has entered into any contracts, awarded grants, or commissioned research projects in connection with the revision of domestic abuse practice frameworks since 2016.

As a Non-Departmental Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice, the oversight and assurance arrangements for Cafcass are carried out in accordance with the Arms-Length Body Code of Practice. Specific areas of oversight are also covered in the Framework Document between the Ministry of Justice and Cafcass. Cafcass is subject to regular inspection by Ofsted; at the most recent inspection conducted in January 2024 Cafcass was rated as “outstanding”. The key findings of the Ofsted report are available here. Ofsted also carried out a ‘focused visit’ between 21 and 23 October 2025, which considered Cafcass’s work in relation to private law proceedings where domestic abuse is a factor. Ofsted’s findings are available here.

Cafcass Family Court Advisers complete mandatory domestic abuse training, including on using Cafcass’ Child Impact Assessment Framework which has guidance and tools for assessing when domestic abuse is a feature of the child’s case. Family Court Advisers are also trained to follow Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy which sets out the actions they must undertake when working with children and adults who have experienced domestic abuse.

This Government is determined to take action to improve the experience of those involved in family law children proceedings, including both adults and children who are victims of domestic abuse and other serious offences. With our partners across the family justice system, we are committed to long-term reform of the family courts and recognise the wide-ranging issues that can make the experience of private law proceedings difficult for vulnerable court users.

The Government does not recognise the concept of “parental alienation” syndrome and does not believe it is capable of diagnosis.

The family court is governed by the Family Procedure Rules (FPR) and associated Practice Directions. FPR 1.1 outlines the overall objective of these rules and makes clear that their purpose is to enable the court to ensure (amongst other things) that cases are dealt with “expeditiously and fairly” and that the “parties are on an equal footing” throughout proceedings.

The Government is enhancing transparency in family court proceedings to provide greater accountability, de-mystify legal processes and increase public confidence in the family justice system. Officials have worked with the judiciary to roll out new provisions relating to Transparency Orders, now applicable to all children’s cases in England and Wales. They provide a clear framework for reporting where a journalist or legal blogger has attended a family court hearing to ensure the identities of children and families involved remain protected.

The Family Justice Council published guidance on “responding to a child’s unexplained reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with a parent and allegations of alienating behaviour” in 2024. The guidance was endorsed by the President of the Family Division and makes clear that where there are findings of domestic abuse the victim cannot be found to have alienated the child from the other parent. Where an appropriate and justified reason cannot be found for a child’s rejection of the other parent the guidance provides a clear framework for assessing whether alienating behaviours are present.

Cafcass practitioners receive mandatory training on alienating behaviours. Cafcass’ training programme includes training on the domestic abuse practice policy (introduced in 2024) and on indicators of understanding why a child does not want to spend family time with a parent guide. This training makes it clear that the first step in assessing the reasons for a child not wanting to see a parent is to consider whether domestic abuse is a factor and to explore the pattern of behaviours through a trauma-informed lens.

The Government has not undertaken an analysis of the prevalence of “parental alienation” instances in the family court.

Cafcass’ domestic abuse practice guidance consists of a practice pathway and a guidance document that provides social work practitioners with a structured approach to risk assessment of domestic abuse in the family court. This was updated in May 2021 alongside a programme of training in its use for all practice staff. The materials can be accessed here: Resources for assessing domestic abuse - Cafcass - Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

The practice pathway guidance provides practitioners with a range of assessment tools to use when domestic abuse is part of a family’s circumstances. The aim of this guidance is to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of the child at the centre of proceedings; to promote the best interests of the child and offer a safe recommendation to the court; to work in a trauma focused, respectful and responsive manner; to assess the impact on the child of their lived experience of domestic abuse and to look for strengths in the family and community to promote safety.

While it is not the role of Cafcass staff to investigate the truth of allegations of violence and abuse, Cafcass officers will identify when domestic abuse is alleged, assess the impact on the child’s welfare and make recommendations to the court, which may include the court holding a finding of fact hearing to determine any allegations of abuse.

All Cafcass practitioners are qualified social workers with at least three years’ post-qualification experience. Every practitioner receives training in assessing domestic abuse and has access to learning packages and programmes developed in collaboration with organisations with specialist knowledge of domestic abuse, including a learning package on coercive and controlling behaviours.

Cafcass has a domestic abuse practice pathway which brings together the range of tools practitioners use for identifying domestic abuse, assessing its impact and making recommendations to the court about programmes to address perpetrator behaviour. Cafcass has recently reviewed the pathway, working alongside partners including organisations that work with parents with lived experience of the family courts, and will roll out updated training for all its staff in the next year. This training will take account of recommendations from Cafcass’ Learning and Improvement Board, which draws on the findings of the MoJ Expert Panel on Harm in the Family Courts.

The timetable for court proceedings is set by the court. This usually allows around three weeks to complete a safeguarding letter for the first court hearing, and around three months to complete a Section 7 assessment report. The proportion of Section 7 reports that are filed on time is one of Cafcass’ Key Performance Indicators. For the period 2019-20, 98.7% of reports were filed by the agreed date.

Social services officers are employed by local authorities and are not the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

The Separated Parents Information Programme (SPIP) is a course for separated parents that helps them to understand how to put their children first, even though they may be in dispute with one another. SPIPs are aimed at parents where there are no safeguarding concerns and are not designed to provide comprehensive advice on domestic abuse. The SPIP content is reviewed regularly, and is currently under review.

All Cafcass practitioners are social workers with at least three years’ post qualifying experience, and all social work staff joining Cafcass receive specialist training on domestic abuse. Cafcass has developed a Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway and recently launched a Child Impact Assessment Framework (CIAF) to provide its practitioners with additional tools to assess the impact of domestic abuse and inform its recommendations to the court about child arrangements. Cafcass keeps both tools under review.

Cafcass provides all social work staff who join with specialist training on domestic abuse. Cafcass has a range of tools for identifying domestic abuse, assessing its impact and making recommendations to the court about programmes to address perpetrator behaviour and the implications for child arrangements.

Guidance and programmes have been developed in collaboration with a range of organisations with specialist knowledge of domestic abuse. In addition to training, Cafcass has: monthly ‘Learning and Development Bulletins’ highlighting recent learning; ‘knowledge alerts’ that are shared when new practices are in place; ‘development days’ for teams on relevant topics; eLearning (via Cafcass’ eLearning platform which includes learning specific to domestic abuse) and; the Cafcass Library which provides up-to-date information.

Cafcass has recently made several commitments to improve training around domestic abuse. Cafcass has commissioned additional training from Barnardo’s on the domestic violence risk identification matrix tool, with a view to considering how this material can complement the Cafcass domestic abuse pathway. Cafcass also works closely with Respect on best practice for working with perpetrators as part of national commissioning of perpetrator programmes.

The welfare of the child is paramount in all court desicions about a child's upbringing.

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children involved in proceedings and undertakes safeguarding checks in every case where a parent seeks the child arrangements order to live with or spend time with a child. These checks include enquiries to local authority and police. Convictions or cautions that may be relevant to a risk of harm or further harm to the child are reported by Cafcass to the court prior to the first hearing to support safe decision-making. Cafcass also has a freestanding statutory duty to report to the court on any risks identified at any other stage during proceedings.

Cafcass has developed Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway and recently launched Child Impact Assesment Framework to provide its practitioners with additional tools to assess the impact of domestic abuse and inform its recommendations to the court about child arrangements.

The welfare of the child is paramount in all court desicions about a child's upbringing.

The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has a statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children involved in proceedings and undertakes safeguarding checks in every case where a parent seeks the child arrangements order to live with or spend time with a child. These checks include enquiries to local authority and police. Convictions or cautions that may be relevant to a risk of harm or further harm to the child are reported by Cafcass to the court prior to the first hearing to support safe decision-making. Cafcass also has a freestanding statutory duty to report to the court on any risks identified at any other stage during proceedings.

Cafcass has developed Domestic Abuse Practice Pathway and recently launched Child Impact Assesment Framework to provide its practitioners with additional tools to assess the impact of domestic abuse and inform its recommendations to the court about child arrangements.