At Last: Government Removes Dangerous Legal Aid Thresholds For Domestic Violence Victims

04 Monday Dec 2017

Posted by Natasha in Domestic Violence, Researching Reform

The Ministry of Justice has announced that it will scrap the five year time limit for producing evidence of domestic violence, and increase the types of documents allowed to evidence harm when making an application for legal aid.

The changes, which were to a large extent expected after immense public and organisational pressure to remove existing barriers put into place by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), are set to take effect from January 2018.

As well as removing the time bar for applications, fresh categories of evidence including statements from domestic violence support organisations and housing support officers, as well as those from social services, law enforcement agencies and medical professionals will all be admissible when making an application for legal aid.

This really is wonderful news.

For a comprehensive look at domestic violence policy over the last ten years and the events that lead up to the new changes, check out our article over at Lexis Nexis for more.

legal aid

Question It!

04 Monday Dec 2017

Posted by Natasha in Question It, Researching Reform

≈ 8 Comments

Welcome to another week.

Child abuse within a faith based context has been highlighted by the media regularly over the last few days. Cases of children being abused by Catholic nuns and priests have featured, as have stories of children being hurt in demonic possession rituals.

Religion has historically been the bedrock of England’s political and social makeup. Over time, the country has slowly removed its governance from religious tenets, but elements of the Church of England’s supremacy over legal principles have remained.

A close look at how religion continues to obstruct equality and human rights would be something the establishment might resist. On the other hand, it would also give it the chance to develop better faith based practices, and ensure that children are fully protected.

Our question this week then, is a simple one: should we have a whole scale review of religious practices in the UK with the aim of codifying all aspects of those practices and customs which breach our current welfare policies and human rights legislation, and then make those practices illegal?

Questions