Published date:
A tender competition has been launched today to carry out research to better understand the experience of domestic abuse victims and children engaging in the family court system in Northern Ireland.
The research, commissioned by the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime in Northern Ireland Geraldine Hanna, will be focused on placing the voice of the children involved in the court system at the centre of understanding how the system works and where improvements can be made.
Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Geraldine Hanna said:
“Many victims engaging with my office and support organisations report feeling re-traumatised by family court proceedings with a common held view that the court process itself is being weaponised against them.
“As a society we’ve made real strides in recognising the impact of domestic abuse, specifically through the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (NI) 2021.
“Despite this I am concerned that our family court system fails to fully grasp the nature and impact of domestic abuse leading to the re- traumatisation of victims and a culture that enables unsafe contact between children and abusive parents.
“Improving children’s well-being and safety is the entire purpose of our family courts and understanding how children’s voices are heard in this process is crucial if we are to achieve this.
“This work is really important and I’m pleased to invite tenders to complete it. Once the final recommendations are presented I will use this to advise government and champion positive systemic change.”
The deadline for receipt of clarifications is 19 September 2024 at 15.00 and the deadline for receipt of Tenders is 26 September at 15.00.
More information for interested parties can be found on eTendersNI.