Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress her Department has made toward publishing the results of the urgent review into the presumption of parental involvement.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The previous Government announced the Review into the Presumption of Parental Involvement in November 2020, following the recommendation of the Harm Panel Report. Research into the courts’ application of the presumption was commissioned and carried out, however the outcome of the Review was not published before the 2024 general election was announced.
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for all children and families involved in the family courts. Ministers are considering the evidence gathered and the Government's response will be published in due course.
Correspondence Mar. 25 2025
Committee: Women and Equalities CommitteeFound: Parental responsibility can be acquired in a variety of ways.
Asked by: Marie Tidball (Labour - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to publish a response to her Department's report entitled, Assessing risk of harm to children and parents in private law children, published in June 2020.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has published a full implementation plan and various updates to the report entitled “Assessing risk of harm to children and parents in private law children cases”, which is known as the Harm Panel report. The latest delivery update can be found at: Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases - Implementation Plan: delivery update.
A core part of the response to the Harm Panel report is the Pathfinder pilot courts. The Pathfinder pilot aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and parents involved in private family law proceedings. We recently published a specific update on the Pathfinder model which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-law-pathfinder-delivery-update.
The report recommended a review of the presumption of parental involvement. The Ministry of Justice has undertaken this review, focusing on the courts’ application of the statutory presumption and the exceptions to it, such as in cases where there is evidence that parental involvement will put the child at risk of harm. This review will be published shortly.
Mentions:
1: Marie Tidball (Lab - Penistone and Stocksbridge) I beg to move,That this House has considered the presumption of parental involvement in child arrangements.It - Speech Link
2: Marie Tidball (Lab - Penistone and Stocksbridge) Government launched a review of the presumption, as recommended by the harm report. - Speech Link
3: Sarah Sackman (Lab - Finchley and Golders Green) In 2014 the Children Act was amended to introduce the presumption of parental involvement, built on well-established - Speech Link
4: Sarah Sackman (Lab - Finchley and Golders Green) the presumption of parental involvement, because in some cases it is leading to negative and unintended - Speech Link
Written Evidence Mar. 17 2025
Committee: Public Accounts CommitteeFound: of parental involvement/contact as in the best interests of the child (more below).
May. 07 2025
Source Page: Victims and Courts BillFound: of their parental responsibility once they are sentenced.
Mentions:
1: Shabana Mahmood (Lab - Birmingham Ladywood) I will not pre-empt the findings of the sentencing review. - Speech Link
2: Shabana Mahmood (Lab - Birmingham Ladywood) I will not pre-empt the findings of the sentencing review. - Speech Link
3: Shabana Mahmood (Lab - Birmingham Ladywood) review to consider the specifics of prolific offenders. - Speech Link
4: Alex Davies-Jones (Lab - Pontypridd) The presumption of parental involvement states that a court should“presume, unless the contrary is shown - Speech Link
5: Shabana Mahmood (Lab - Birmingham Ladywood) Regardless of whether the review goes into the specifics of every other type of case, I am sure that - Speech Link
Found: The Children Act 1989 affirms the primacy of parental responsibility, granting parents the authority
Mentions:
1: None require the earlier involvement of a second opinion appointed doctor achieve a similar objective. - Speech Link
2: Lord Meston (XB - Excepted Hereditary) The Joint Committee on the draft Bill pointed out, echoing what was said in the independent review of - Speech Link
3: None It calls for a review to be undertaken in 12 months to consider the expedience of a statutory test. - Speech Link
4: Baroness Neuberger (XB - Life peer) I was also one of the vice-chairs of the independent review of the Mental Health Act in 2018, which feels - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Neil O'Brien (Con - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston) review of children’s social care, which was very ably put together by the hon. - Speech Link
2: Catherine Atkinson (Lab - Derby North) Out-of-court or pre-proceeding discussions and settlements, and the involvement of professionals, have - Speech Link
3: None The independent review of children’s social care reported that in too many cases, opportunities have - Speech Link
4: Neil O'Brien (Con - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston) I wonder what the expectation is for the involvement of these teams in private law cases. - Speech Link