Private Law Pathfinder Pilot: understanding the experience of children and families
This report presents the findings of the research to understand the experiences of children and families of the Pathfinder pilot in Dorset and North Wales family court areas.
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The Pathfinder pilot aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and parents involved in private family law proceedings, including those who have experience of domestic abuse. The initial pilot was designed in response to recommendation from the Harm Panel report to reform private law by trialling a more problem-solving, investigative approach which better supports victims of domestic abuse and other harms. In the Pathfinder courts the usual Child Arrangements Programme (CAP) is suspended and replaced with a revised process for relevant cases. The pilot launched in Dorset and North Wales in February 2022 and has since eight more court areas including all of Wales, Birmingham, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The purpose of this research was to explore the experience of children and families who have been through the revised Pathfinder model to understand how their experiences align to the key policy goals of the Pathfinder pilots. This research also aimed to provide evidence on the lived experience of children and families, including families experiencing, or at risk of, domestic abuse and other harms under the new approach. This study draws on participants’ reflections on their experiences of Pathfinder in Dorset and North Wales only.
This research is part of the wider evaluation of Pathfinder; with a previous process evaluation and financial analysis published in March 2025.