We are delighted to announce that we will lead on the new Family Court Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) delivery model of the West Yorkshire Pathfinder Partnership (WYPP). We will be working in collaboration with our exceptional West Yorkshire partners Leeds Domestic Violence Service (LDVS), represented by Leeds Women’s Aid and Behind Closed Doors, WomenCentre, Pennine Domestic Abuse Partnership and Wakefield (provider to be confirmed.)
Pathfinder aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and families involved in private law proceedings. The model does this in a number of ways—by centring voice of the child; by bringing all agencies involved in family justice together in a problem solving approach to resolution; and an enhanced array of support for those who have experienced domestic abuse is provided.
Pathfinder is a key change in culture for all involved. West Yorkshire is the largest area to test the model, involving multiple court sites and Local Authorities. The change of culture involves everyone working together collaboratively.
The Pathfinder pilot in West Yorkshire works by bringing together The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Services (Cafcass), all five local authorities, police and support services to gather and share information on family court 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 survivors of domestic abuse.
The Mayor of West Yorkshire was successful in being awarded funding from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to ensure the essential IDVA services are available to support families going through Family Court proceedings. A £385,000 grant has been awarded to WYPP by the Mayor for an initial 12 months to deliver the service.
WYPP is a strong collaboration with well-established IDVA services across West Yorkshire supporting survivors of domestic abuse. The service shall be accessible to all adults, children and young people going through Family Court proceedings in the West Yorkshire area where there are concerns, evidence and/or allegations of domestic abuse. We will cover the West Yorkshire area, this means providing accessible support to people who reside within Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds or Wakefield.
“I am so proud of our partnership; we will be working collaboratively to safeguard survivors going through the family court process,” states Yasmin Khan, CEO, Staying Put. “We are passionate about our trauma informed service and our partnership will be doing everything we can to make the lives of those going through the family court process easier. We will learn from the current Pathfinder Pilot schemes, transforming and building on the outcomes for survivors and their families across West Yorkshire. Our flexible and trauma informed approach will be supporting all survivors and their children to ensure their voice is heard, reducing repeat rate and the backlog of the number of open cases.”
Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, said:
“Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on survivors – and too often hostile family court proceedings can prolong that trauma.
“We are pleased to fund the IDVA part of the Pathfinder pilot here in West Yorkshire to support survivors and spare them, and their families, from going through unnecessary hearings.
“This partnership approach will not only safeguard survivors, but ensure their voices are heard and listened to, as we seek better outcomes for those who have lived through domestic abuse.”
Figures show the Pathfinder pilot is working, with family court cases being resolved 11 weeks quicker and the backlog of cases reducing by 50 per cent across both Dorset and North Wales.
Speaking about the pilot, Lord Ponsonby, the Minister for Family Justice, 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.”
About The Pathfinder Pilot
- The Pathfinder pilot launched in Dorset and North Wales in February 2022, it expanded to South East Wales in April 2024, and Birmingham in May 2024.
- The expansion is set to launch in Mid and West Wales on 3 March, and in West Yorkshire on 3 June.
- In 2020 The Harm Panel, comprised of experts on the family justice system, was convened to draw together evidence and published a report on private law children cases. It recommended reform to the Child Arrangements Programme (CAP), which is the process that the family court follows when settling disputes between separating parties involving children.
- The Pathfinder pilot was designed in response to this recommendation to achieve the reform of private law by trialling a more investigative approach which better supports victims of domestic abuse and other harms.