ALL family & magistrates courts to employ IDVA's (independent domestic violence advisor)
ALL family & magistrates courts to employ IDVA's (independent domestic violence advisor)
Why this petition matters
I call upon the government, APPG on Domestic violence, Home Secretary James Cleverly and Prime minister Rishi Sunak to implement IDVA's in ALL family & magistrates courts.
Currently the courts judicuary are UNTRAINED or have minimal knowledge in most areas of domestic abuse. COERCIVE CONTROL being one of them and although now illegal it is very misunderstood and often diminished. This in turn has a huge impact on survivors and children where abusers can use the court systems to further abuse their victims and children. Huge failures in the family court continue daily.
Some criminal courts already have their own Domestic violence advisor's to advise Judiciary, sadly not in the family or magistrates.
Putting IDVA's in each family and magistrates court would help the judicuary to finally make INFORMED decisions on each and every case involving domestic abuse, as they are highly qualified in ALL areas of domestic abuse and violence plus the risks post separation. They understand the patterns and behaviours of an abuser including post separation abuse tactics as well as the impacts this can have on the survivors and children.
Training the whole system to an IDVA knowledge woukd be impossible and Over 70% of family court and CAFCASS cases involve domestic abuse so this is imperative.
1 in 3 women, 1 in 5 children and 1 in 6 men will be subjected domestic abuse and it costs the economy 72 billion pounds a year. The number remains of 2 women a week being killed by a partner or ex in England and wales a week showing our systems are broken.
It is VITAL to have a fair and informed system that makes decisions with knowledge, these decisions affect thousands of lives including child contact with abusers. I believe having independent Domestic Violence Advisors involved with all cases would encourage MORE survivors to also come forward knowing they will FINALLY be heard.
I have been on both sides of this being removed as a child from domestic violence and then in my adult life a relationship for many years with an abuser and have now been going through the family court system for 2 years...it saddens me that i actually feel lucky that my ex was violent and has convictions against me, so many i have met who have suffered the same emotional abuse, gas lighting, coercive control and post separation abuse as i but not the violence have NOT been heard.
I am limited on what i can say about my case as family court is a closed court which again creates a lack of voice when we struggle to find ours already.
Here is some of my story: http://nofourthriver.com/VickieRobertson
The scars you cant see are the ones that actually have the lasting effect and is what needs addressing in court. This abuse also has a pattern and happens gradually sometimes over many years... which can be hard to prove when many cases after the previous year of the court case any evidence can be classed as historical and not allowed.
Having an IDVA as part of the process would help eleviate all the current problems faced in courts for survivors and children as they are able to recognise behaviours and impacts, they understand DARVO which many abusers will use to manipulate courts/services.
Combined with the evidence they can give independent, expert informed and specialist advice. This would benefit the court and Cafcass when making their decisions and recommendations using the expertise of the IDVA to benefit all And their safeguarding.
This link below shows the problem which reflects what sadly most of us have experienced, the APPG highlights much of this in their report also.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1869793716679135/permalink/2255626311429205/
