We have been campaigning against “presumption of contact” since SNS started 8 years ago and now it will be repealed! It became law in 2014 and says that it’s in children’s best interest to have contact with both parents, regardless of any domestic violence, abuse or neglect by fathers. It was introduced after intensive lobbying by misogynist fathers’ groups who complained that the courts were biased against fathers – and almost immediately led to the courts being biased in favour of fathers, against protective mothers, and led to children’s voices largely being ignored.

In 2019 we submitted evidence to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) consultation on Assessing risk of harm to children and parents in private law family cases, calling for presumption of contact to be abolished (among other things). We were delighted when the MOJ produced its Harm Report (2020) which confirmed the extremely negative impact on mothers and children of the “pro-contact” culture which has dominated family court since 2014. Later in 2020 the MOJ established a Presumption Review Panel and in January 2023 Support Not Separation jointly with Women Against Rape submitted evidence to that Panel, which has only now, 5 years after the Harm Report, made its findings public.

The imminent repeal of “presumption” is a massive victory for children who have suffered at the hands of violent fathers, and for mothers, starting with Claire Throssell who has campaigned tirelessly since 2014 when her ex-husband murdered her two sons on the first occasion he was given unsupervised contact. Ms Throssell had told the family court that the father was a danger to the children (and to her) but her warnings were ignored and tragically her beloved children were killed. That Judge has blood on their hands and still sits as a family court judge! We must keep a watchful eye on how this government announcement will be implemented.

Please see our celebration post below and how we have contributed to this victory.