The Pathfinder courts pilot is to be rolled out further across the Midlands at courts in Wolverhampton, Worcester and Stoke-on-Trent following its success in Dorset, North and South East Wales, Birmingham and West Yorkshire.
First launched in Dorset and North Wales in February 2022 the pilot was expanded to South-East Wales in April 2024, Birmingham in May 2024, Mid and West Wales in March 2025 and into West Yorkshire in June 2025.
Pathfinder pilot aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and parents by adopting a more problem-solving, investigative approach., establishing more information up front and working closely with Cafcass to deliver Child Impact Reports (CIR) within 40 days, replacing the safeguarding letter and section 7 report and providing for a more comprehensive report in a shorter time frame and quicker decision making.
The news has been cautiously welcomed by the Law Society. President Mark Evans said:
“We welcome the rollout of the ‘Pathfinder’ family court model across the Midlands, but it is vital that the government guarantees access to legal aid so families can use the system effectively. To ensure that the new system can be a positive addition to family justice for our communities, we urge the government to continue to evaluate the pilot in detail and involve the families themselves and family practitioners in this process.”
Ellie Butt, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Refuge added the charity welcomed the expansion as family courts have been failing domestic abuse survivors for tool long.
“Many survivors we work with describe family court proceedings as highly distressing and even traumatic, exacerbating the trauma of experiencing domestic abuse. Survivors’ experiences often go unseen and unacknowledged, which, in turn, leaves their children at risk of further harm from perpetrators.
“Improved efficiency, ensuring the voice of the child is heard, and multi-agency collaboration are essential to ensuring that survivors and their children have a better experience of the family courts. Early results from the Pathfinder rollout have been encouraging, demonstrating real potential to improve outcomes for families.
“However, this represents just one step forward – survivors and their children are continuing face real risks in the family courts, and widespread reform is urgently needed. Long-term systemic change will depend on greater transparency across the system, expanded access to legal aid and robust, consistent training for judges on domestic abuse to ensure that decisions are informed and survivor-centred.”
The Ministry of Justice has been criticised for the slow speed of further rollout of Pathfinder in a report published by the Public Accounts Committee. Despite positive evaluations, wide stakeholder support, and a demonstrable improvement in timeliness, Committee chair Clive Betts described the rollout as ‘slow’, calling for a plan to introduce wider rollout ‘within the next 12 months.
