top of page
Search

Justice Must Listen to Victims: Why Family Justice Needs Early Risk Assessment

  • Deanna Newell
  • Jul 26
  • 2 min read

I fully support Claire Waxman OBE’s call for victims’ voices to remain central when decisions are made about the justice system.


The pressures facing the prison system are real, but so are the rights, safety, and confidence of victims and survivors.


Promises made to victims must be delivered. A justice system cannot maintain public trust if those who have experienced harm do not feel heard, protected, or recognised.


The same principle must apply within the family justice system.


Too often, families enter court proceedings without early identification of the risks and complexities involved. Cases involving coercive control, domestic abuse, financial abuse, economic abuse, complex finances, or safeguarding concerns require a different level of assessment and support.


This is why I am campaigning for a Mandatory Three-Tier Family Justice Triage Assessment Framework. A consistent, clearly documented, triage approach would ensure cases are identified earlier and directed to the appropriate level of support:


Tier 1 – Standard Assessment

For lower-risk cases requiring straightforward guidance and support.


Tier 2 – Enhanced Financial & Family Assessment

For cases involving complex finances, non-PAYE income, disputed child arrangements, coercive control, financial abuse, economic abuse, or safeguarding concerns requiring deeper investigation.


Tier 3 – Court & Multi-Agency Safeguarding Review

For high-risk and highly complex cases involving domestic abuse, coercive control, concerns regarding financial manipulation or deliberate underpayment, complex business structures, disputed financial resources, and cases where child arrangements and financial disputes are interconnected.


As a survivor of coercive control, financial abuse, and economic abuse, and as an autistic parent raising two autistic children, I understand the importance of systems that recognise vulnerability, complexity, and risk.


Justice must not only respond after harm has occurred. It must identify risk earlier, provide appropriate support, and place children’s welfare at the centre of decision-making.


Access to justice should never depend on a person’s financial circumstances.


Too many parents are forced to navigate complex legal systems alone while trying to protect their children and secure the financial support they need.


Legal aid reform is vital, but so is wider reform of family justice and the Child Maintenance Service. We need a system that follows the evidence, recognises patterns of abuse, examines financial transparency, and ensures that vulnerable families receive the right support at the right time.


Justice should not depend on what someone can afford.

Justice should be available to everyone who needs it.


Deanna Newell | Founder | DN Family Law

Advocacy for truth-tellers, survivors, and the children who deserve better

bottom of page