A family court scheme that adopts a more child-led, problem-solving approach to resolving disputes will be extended after official data showed that cases were being resolved nearly three months more quickly, halving the backlog of cases in Dorset and North Wales.
The Ministry of Justice today announced a £12.5m ‘funding boost’ to expand the ‘Pathfinder pilot’. The pilot began in Dorset and North Wales in 2022, expanded to south east Wales and Birmingham last year, and will now be introduced in mid and west Wales, and West Yorkshire.
Traditional family court proceedings are litigant-led, with the court having little information about a case at the first hearing. The Pathfinder pilot improves the sharing of information between agencies to allow more informed decision-making and fewer hearings. The pathfinder courts also offer specialist support to domestic abuse victims.
According to data published by HM Courts & Tribunals Service, cases in North Wales were resolved in an average 18 weeks last year - down from 29 weeks in 2022. The open caseload fell from 478 to 202 within that period. Cases in Dorset were resolved in 27 weeks last year – down from 38 weeks in 2022. The open caseload fell from 511 to 246.
Justice minister Lord Ponsonby said: ‘For too long families have been pitted against each other in the court room, 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.’
Domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs welcomed today’s announcement and said the Pathfinder approach is essential to protecting victims in the family justice system.
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