Progress So Far: Campaigning for Child Maintenance and Family Justice Reform

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By Deanna Newell

Founder | DN Family Law

Over the past year, I have dedicated significant voluntary time to supporting individuals and families navigating some of the most challenging areas of the family justice system.

This has included supporting individuals involved in family court proceedings, raising awareness of the experiences of domestic abuse survivors, and campaigning for practical reform of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the

wider family justice system.

Through this work, I have gained a deeper understanding of the challenges families face, including prolonged disputes, financial uncertainty, complex family circumstances and the need for greater transparency, accountability and early support.

This experience led to the founding of DN Family Law, created to provide information, support and advocacy for families while promoting practical, evidence-based reform.

A key part of this campaign is the proposal for a Mandatory Three-Tier Triage Assessment across Child Maintenance and family justice processes.

The reason for this proposal is that not every case has the same level of complexity.

I believe that a structured triage approach would help identify cases earlier and ensure families receive the appropriate level of assessment, support and intervention.

The proposed three-tier model is described below.

Tier 1 – Standard Assessment

For cases where:-

• Financial circumstances are straightforward

• Income information is clear and verifiable

• Child arrangements are not subject to significant dispute

Tier 2 – Enhanced Assessment

For cases involving:-

• Complex financial circumstances

• Self-employment or company ownership

• Dividends, investments or other non-PAYE income

• Disputed financial information

• Significant family disputes

This tier would allow a more detailed review to ensure decisions are based on an accurate understanding of financial and family circumstances.

Tier 3 – Multi-Agency Safeguarding and Family Review

For cases involving:-

• Domestic abuse

• Coercive control

• Safeguarding concerns

• Significant welfare concerns affecting children

• Prolonged, high-conflict disputes requiring coordinated professional involvement

The purpose of triage is not to create unnecessary barriers, but to ensure complex cases are recognised early and directed to the right pathway.

By moving towards prevention rather than crisis response, the system could improve transparency, reduce unnecessary conflict and keep children’s welfare at the centre of decision-making.

I have been engaging with Members of Parliament, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s office and the Child Maintenance Service to raise concerns and proposals for reform.

As part of this work, Members of Parliament have submitted Written Parliamentary Questions seeking formal Government responses on key issues, including financial transparency, the treatment of non-PAYE income and the future direction of Child Maintenance Service reform.

These parliamentary questions help create a public record of the Government’s position, increase transparency and support ongoing discussion about how the system can be improved to better serve children and families.

The focus of this campaign remains:-

Children First – ensuring every reform improves outcomes for children.

Fairness and Transparency – ensuring decisions are based on accurate information.

Early Identification – recognising complex family and financial cases before they escalate.

The aim is to work collaboratively with parents, professionals, organisations and policymakers to help create a family justice and child maintenance system that is fairer, more transparent and centred on children’s welfare.

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Deanna Newell | Founder | DN Family Law

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