Guidance

Domestic Abuse Act 2021 commencement schedule

Updated 10 December 2024

Section(s)	Provision	Commencement date
Part 1: Definition of “domestic abuse”
1-2	Definitions of “domestic abuse” and “personally connected”	1 October 2021[footnote 1]
3	Children as victims	31 January 2022

Part 2: The Domestic Abuse Commissioner
4-21	The Domestic Abuse Commissioner	1 November 2021 [footnote 2]
15	Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) added to section 15, subsection 3	16 April 2024	[footnote 3]

Part 3: Powers for dealing with domestic abuse
22-56, Schedule 1	Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders Pilot	27 November 2024

Part 4: Local authority support
57-61	Local authority support	1 October 2021[footnote 4]
Part 5: Protection for victims, witnesses, etc in legal proceedings
62	Special measures in criminal proceedings for offences involving domestic abuse	19 May 2022 (partial commencement) [footnote 5]
63	Special measures in family proceedings: victims of domestic abuse	1 October 2021[footnote 6]
64	Special measures in civil proceedings: victims of domestic abuse etc	14 June 2022 [footnote 7]
65	Prohibition of cross-examination in person in family proceedings	21 July 2022 [footnote 8]
66	Prohibition of cross-examination in person in civil proceedings	21 July 2022 [footnote 9]
67	Orders under section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989	19 May 2022 [footnote 10]
Part 6: Offences involving abusive or violent behaviour
68	Controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship	5 April 2023 [footnote 11]

69	Threats to disclose private sexual photographs or films with intent to cause distress	29 June 2021 [footnote 12]
70 and Schedule 2	Strangulation or suffocation	7 June 2022 [footnote 13]
71	Consent to serious harm for sexual gratification not a defence	29 April 2021 [footnote 14]
72	Offences against the person committed outside the UK: England and Wales	29 June 2021 [footnote 15]
73	Offences against the person committed outside the UK: Northern Ireland	21 February 2022
74	Amendments relating to offences committed outside the UK	Subsections (1) and (2): 29 June 2021 [footnote 16], Subsection (3): 21 February 2022
Schedule 3	Amendments relating to offences committed outside the UK	Parts 1 and 2: 29 June 2021[footnote 17], Part 3: 21 February 2022
Part 7: Miscellaneous and general
75	Strategy for the prosecution and management of offenders	29 April 2021 [footnote 18]
76	Polygraph conditions for offenders released on licence	5 July 2021 [footnote 19]
77	Guidance about the disclosure of information by police forces	5 April 2023 [footnote 20]
78	Homelessness: victims of domestic abuse	5 July 2021 [footnote 21]
79	Grant of secure tenancies in cases of domestic abuse	1 November 2021 [footnote 22]
80	Prohibition on charging for the provision of medical evidence of domestic abuse	1 October 2021[footnote 23]
81	Review of processing of victims’ personal data for immigration purposes	29 April 2021[footnote 24]
82	Code of practice	5 April 2023 [footnote 25]
83	Report on the use of contact centres in England	29 April 2021[footnote 26]
84	Power of the Secretary of State to issue guidance about domestic abuse, etc	November 2021 Statutory guidance was published on 8 July 2022. [footnote 27]
85-86	Powers to make consequential or transitional provision, etc	29 April 2021[footnote 28]
87-91	Final provisions	29 April 2021[footnote 29]

Footnotes

1. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2021 ↩

2. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2021 ↩

3. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Amendment) Regulations 2024 ↩

4. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2021 ↩

5. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2021. Commenced for all purposes other than the provisions for which sections 27 and 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 provide ↩

6. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2021 ↩

7. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2021 ↩

8. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2022 ↩

9. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2022 ↩

10. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2021 ↩

11. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2023 ↩

12. By virtue of section 90(2) of the Act ↩

13. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2021 ↩

14. By virtue of section 90(1)(a) of the Act ↩

15. By virtue of section 90(2) of the Act ↩

16. By virtue of section 90(2) of the Act & The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (legislation.gov.uk) ↩

17. Included in the publishing of the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. Initially commenced by virtue of section 90(2) of the Act & The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (legislation.gov.uk) ↩

18. By virtue of section 90(1)(b) of the Act ↩

19. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 1 and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2021 (legislation.gov.uk) ↩

20. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2023 ↩

21. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 1 and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2021 (legislation.gov.uk) ↩

22. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2021 ↩

23. By virtue of section 90(5) of the Act ↩

24. By virtue of section 90(5) of the Act ↩

25. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2023 ↩

26. By virtue of section 90(1)(d) of the Act ↩

27. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2021 ↩

28. By virtue of section 90(1)(e) of the Act ↩

29. By virtue of section 90(1)(e) of the Act ↩