Staying Put is leading on the new Family Court Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) pilot delivery model of the West Yorkshire Pathfinder Partnership (WYPP). We work in collaboration with our West Yorkshire partners Leeds Domestic Violence Service (LDVS), represented by Leeds Women’s Aid and Behind Closed Doors, WomenCentre, Pennine Domestic Abuse Partnership and Cranstoun. The service shall be accessible to families going through Family Court proceedings in the West Yorkshire area where there are concerns, evidence and/or allegations of domestic abuse.

Mission, aims and objectives

Our mission

To improve family’s experience through the family court system.

Our aims

To improve the experiences of children and families by:

• Improving children’s experience of and (appropriate) participation in the court process.
• Reducing the re-traumatisation of domestic abuse victims, including children, that may be experienced during proceedings.
• Reducing the number of returning cases through a more sustainable court order. Adopting a multi-agency approach to improve coordination between the Family Court and agencies, such as local authorities and the police, and the way allegations of domestic abuse and other risks of harm are dealt with.
• Using the Victims Code, to ensure service users are kept fully apprised of their rights at every stage of their journey.

Our objectives

A key objective will be to implement a supportive and solution focused approach that integrates family courts with wider support services. This will ensure that survivors receive comprehensive assistance, addressing their needs beyond the courtroom. The programme also prioritises strengthening multi-agency coordination to create a cohesive and effective response to domestic abuse cases by:

• Ensuring flexible IDVA support
• Providing early intervention
• Improving the voice of the child
• Supporting survivors post-court as required by signposting to suitable community services
• Feeding into the Family Court Pathfinder evaluation