Oral Question·Ministry of Justice
“What steps her Department is taking to ensure child safety during private law proceedings.”
Tabled: 8 April 2025Answered: 22 April 2025
Asked by
Mr Will Forster
Liberal Democrat — Woking
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for Justice
Answer from Hansard
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)
The welfare of the child must be the paramount consideration for family courts, which should follow the welfare checklist, as set out in the Children Act 1989. Our new approach to private law proceedings—the pathfinder pilot courts—focuses on problem solving, putting greater emphasis on the voice of the child, but we are acutely aware that more needs to be done.