Justice Minister Baroness Levitt KC said the new approach could “help spare more children the pain of drawn-out proceedings, deliver swifter justice for families while making sure support comes earlier when it is needed most”.
She said the new system of courts had already “halved backlogs and resolved cases months faster in our pilot areas” with “more children feeling heard”.
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs said she was thrilled that the government had “heard the calls from both children and adult victims” for a family justice system that “truly understands domestic abuse, listens to their concerns, and prioritises their safety.”
While the Association of Lawyers for Children welcomed the rollout, it warned the model would not “achieve genuinely transformative change” unless it was accompanied by “wider reform and adequate funding of the chronically under resourced legal aid scheme, and proper funding of Cafcass and the family courts”.
As the most senior family judge, Sir Andrew, who is retiring completely this week, has had to make very difficult decisions.
He compared the role of family judge to that of a trauma surgeon, saying: “I think all professionals who work in family justice get used to protecting themselves to a degree from what goes on.
“But equally, you couldn’t do the job if you didn’t have enormous empathy for the individuals in front of you.
“So it’s a difficult tightrope to walk. You’ve got to be emotionally connected enough to understand what’s going on, but protected so that you aren’t drawn in to the emotional fallout yourself.”