Maisie Beavan, Trainee Solicitor
Maisie handles a variety of cases, including personal injury, discrimination claims in employment and higher education, historical child sexual abuse claims, and commercial and property matters for private clients. She is currently studying the LPC and plans to qualify as a solicitor in 2026.
In October 2025, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner published an independent report titled “Everyday Business: Addressing domestic abuse and continuing harm through a family court review and reporting mechanism”. The report clarifies how certain deeply rooted structural barriers continue to fail survivors of domestic abuse in the Family Courts.
Researchers reviewed nearly 300 case files, observed hearings, and held focus groups with survivors, judges, magistrates, and Cafcass officers across three family courts in England and Wales. The study aimed to test a new monitoring system – the Family Court Reporting and Review Mechanism – to improve oversight and accountability.
A breakdown of the types of abuse recorded in the reviewed case files is below:
| Type of abuse | % of cases with domestic abuse |
|---|---|
| Psychological or emotional abuse | 76% |
| Physical abuse | 56% |
| Coercive and controlling behaviour | 35% |
| Violent or threatening behaviour | 32% |
| Economic/financial abuse | 20% |
| Sexual abuse | 14% |
Key recommendations from the report are:
- Fund and expand the Family Court Reporting and Review Mechanism nationally.
- Improve routine recording of domestic abuse, coercive control, and special measures.
- Inclusion of coercive control, stalking, and honour-based abuse in court forms (C1A).
- Strengthen trauma-informed and child-focused practices.
- Establish a Ministry of Justice analytics team to monitor and publish family court data.
As outlined in Section 3 of the report, the message is clear: “these findings strongly reinforce the view that domestic abuse is not exceptional, or even as likely as not to be present in private law children cases. Rather it is the “everyday business” of the family courts, present in most cases at all levels.”
How We Can Help
At McAllister Olivarius, our specialist family lawyers are experienced in supporting clients through complex and sensitive family law proceedings, including those involving domestic abuse. To discuss your situation in confidence, book a free initial consultation today.