Ban unsupervised child contact during criminal investigations

Background

Make it mandatory for all unsupervised child contact to be paused while an investigation into allegations of abuse, violence or coercive control by a parent is ongoing. If the police or CPS decide to take no further action, a Family Court Finding of Fact Hearing should automatically follow.

Additional details

When unsupervised contact continues during investigations, families can face preventable harm. A police or CPS “No Further Action” only means the criminal threshold wasn’t met. Any police investigation or CPS referral signals serious concern and requires heightened safeguarding. To protect victims, we think contact should, as a minimum, be professionally supervised during investigations, with a Fact-Finding Hearing afterwards, ensuring decisions are informed, evidence-based, and centred on safety.

Where it’s popular

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