Thousands more children will receive swifter justice, access better support and be shielded from further trauma as a new family court model is expanded to the Isle of Wight.
Today (Tuesday 6th January), Baroness Levitt KC has confirmed that the “Pathfinder” family court model is expanding to the Isle of Wight. The expansion introduces earlier identification of risk to improve children’s safety and streamlines court processes to increase efficiency and reduce delays.
Strengthening agency coordination
The model will also bolster coordination between the family court and agencies, such as local authorities and the police, when dealing with allegations of domestic abuse and other harms.
This should in turn reduce the number of returning cases, protecting children and families from further trauma.
Proven track record
The move follows the recent expansion of the model to the Black Country, Stoke-on-Trent and Worcester.
It comes as figures from trial areas in South East Wales and Birmingham published in November showed this new, innovative approach is working. Cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months more quickly, with the backlog in family courts reducing by over 50 per cent.
Plan for Change
The decision to extend the rollout of Pathfinder courts is a key pillar of the Government’s Plan for Change to protect children, helping deliver the government’s new strategy to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and restore faith in the justice system.
Quigley: I wholeheartedly welcome this step
Richard Quigley, Labour MP for Isle of Wight West said,
“With domestic abuse cases continuing to rise on the Island, I’m pleased to see the government taking decisive action by introducing this specialist court – a model that has already proven effective elsewhere in the country.
“This will make a real difference for victims and their children, providing faster, more focused justice.
“I wholeheartedly welcome this step.”
News shared by the office of Richard Quigley MP. Ed
