The use of family courts to address domestic abuse in England and Wales
Dr Ludivine Garside, University of Bristol, School of Law
Online
Seminar 8: Centre for Gender and Violence Research Seminar Series
Domestic abuse is a known concern in many types of family law cases, both private and public. It affects over half of private child arrangement cases, and two thirds of birth mothers in samples of children subject to care proceedings. However, it remains unknown which types of court users receive protection through Non-Molestation or Occupation Orders granted by family courts. New administrative datasets and linkages can supplement the information already available from national statistics, providing an evidence base to understand how family court users approach domestic abuse matters, their experiences of the family justice system, and how the court responds.
This project is one of the first to gain approval from HM Courts & Tribunals Services (HMCTS) to use de-identified versions of their family court data and linkage to the Children and Families Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass) datasets, insofar as courts refer the case to Cafcass for advice about the safety and best interests of children. The project describes the court journeys and legal outcomes associated to different types of individuals and cases in England and Wales, and how the added understanding at population-level can focus and support discussions about the use of family courts to address domestic abuse.
Speaker Biography
Dr Ludivine Garside is a socio-legal researcher at the University of Bristol Law School and an Administrative Data Research (ADR) UK Research Fellow.
Her Fellowship focuses on domestic abuse cases in family courts in England and Wales, and how individuals involved in such cases use family courts more broadly. She has undertaken data linkage and restructure for other family justice projects examining the discharge of Care Orders and the outcomes of children subject to care proceedings.
Prior to this, she had joined multiple Bristol teams researching public sector decision-making or public sector services delivery, and their outcomes.
If you would like to attend this free online event, please register your place at our Online Shop.