Family Court Pathfinder Pilot Expanded In Wales: How This Helps Parents
Angela Killa, Director in the Family Law team at JCP Solicitors, explains how the new ‘pathfinder’ programme aims to provide outcomes for families in the family justice system quickly and robustly in Wales and parts of England.
The Pathfinder programme was piloted at Family Courts in North Wales and Dorset in 2022, and expanded to include Birmingham and South East Wales in 2024. The programme has now launched across all Welsh Family Courts, with the aim to improve information sharing between agencies such as the police, local authorities and the Courts. Professionals such as Independent domestic violence advisors (IDVAs), domestic abuse support workers and/or advisors can also be involved to support victims of domestic abuse and take information from victims, reducing the need to re-tell stories of abuse to multiple agencies and in Court.
What is more, one of Pathfinder’s aims is to centralise the voice of children in the proceedings, taking their views into account when making crucial decisions about their futures. The pilot programme gives children the opportunity to explain how they are feeling, and there is a possibility of them providing updates following a Court order so they can say whether the new setup is working for them.
As part of the Pilot, judges can review gathered information – and request more detail – before a case gets to Court. This avoids the case from having to be debated in the Court room, which can often cause even more tension between parents in Family Court.
Now, Wales is the first country to be wholly using the Pathfinder Pilot for all private child proceedings.
Before Pathfinder, many parents could expect their case to take 6 to 9 months to conclude. Under Pathfinder, this is hoped this will be reduced to 12 to 14 weeks. This means that, with the pilot, the process is likely to take far less time: within a day or two of the application being issued to Court, a judge or a court legal adviser will review the application and begin the case management process. The process would likely begin with a Child Impact Report from a CAFCASS Cymru officer, with the officer speaking to both parents and, if appropriate, the children and relevant people such as teachers and other professionals.
By immediately triggering this information-gathering protocol, it is intended that the judge will be able to make informed decisions far earlier than previously.
For parents going through the Family Courts, this means they can speak to the people investigating their children’s welfare quickly and efficiently, so the case can hopefully be brought to a close much sooner than it would have been before Pathfinder. The faster pace aims to save time and money, avoiding costly and emotional Court battles.
More complex cases will take a slightly different route that enables the Court to deal with the matter in a more in-depth way, but it is still hoped that this will be swifter than the timeframes of cases pre-Pathfinder and within 16 weeks from the date of issuing.
In light of the speed of proceedings, if you are involved in Court proceedings and require legal advice – do not delay as there will be a need to act very swiftly if there are issues that require addressing.
If you would like legal advice and guidance on family matters, JCP Solicitors can help. Contact our team by calling 03333 208644 or emailing hello@jcpsolicitors.co.uk.