What is the Child Focused Court?

The Child Focused Courts, formerly the Private Law Pathfinder pilot, is a child-focused model to be followed in disputes over child arrangements. It has recently been rolled out across 10 court areas in England and Wales, including Birmingham and the West Midlands, and will be rolled out in eight further areas within the next year.

The model prioritises early information gathering with a particular focus on the child’s voice, obtained through Cafcass preparing a chid impact report.

Cafcass are central to the model – they will provide advice and recommendations to the court based on an assessment of the child’s needs and the child’s best interests. This ensures that children are a central part of family proceedings and that at an early stage the risk of future harm is identified and presented to the family court.

By gaining an early understanding of the impact of any decisions on the child, the intention is that the family courts are in a better position to prioritise the child’s safety and welfare, and then focus the parties and proceedings accordingly. The goal is to promote quicker resolutions to disputes over family arrangements.

During the pilot, the family court backlogs halved, and cases were resolved up to seven and a half months earlier. This spares children and families weeks of what can often be a traumatic period of proceedings.

Additionally, the model encourages coordination between the family court and other agencies, for example local authorities, the police, and domestic abuse charities and advisers. This improves the experience of dealing with the family courts for survivors of domestic abuse, including children, and seeks to reduce the number of returning cases.

The Government outlined in March that the rollout of the Child Focused Courts is a key Pillar of the wider Plan for Change to protect children and clamp down on domestic abuse. Part of a nationwide initiative to deliver swifter justice for victims, it reduces delays and facilitates fairer decisions, leading to a better informed and swifter conclusion of proceedings.

George Green understand that navigating the court system alone can be daunting. If you require further assistance, or wish to book in for an initial consultation to discuss your situation, our family solicitors in our Cradley Heath, Wolverhampton and Sutton Coldfield offices are here to help. For all new enquiries, please contact 01902 328 355 or complete our online enquiry form and a member of our team will respond as soon as possible.