Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training is available for family court judges on child sexual abuse.

The Lady Chief Justice has statutory responsibility for the training of the courts judiciary in England and Wales, which is exercised through the Judicial College. The judiciary and professional staff in the College are responsible for the design, content and delivery of judicial training.

All judicial office holders receive induction training on appointment and before sitting in a new jurisdiction and complete regular continuation training thereafter. Training on child sexual abuse is integral to judicial training in public and private family law, including dealing with allegations of child sexual abuse and how best to receive evidence from children and young people in a way which seeks to minimise distress whilst protecting the integrity of the court process.

Family magistrates and their legal advisers also complete training in child sexual abuse and other forms of domestic abuse.