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Section 63: Special measures in family proceedings: victims of domestic abuse

Domestic Abuse Act 2021 · 2021 c. 17View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 5: Protection for victims, witnesses, etc in legal proceedings

This section applies where rules of court provide that the court may make a special measures direction in relation to a person (“P”) who is a party or witness in family proceedings.

Rules of court must provide that where P is, or is at risk of being, a victim of domestic abuse carried out by a person listed in subsection (3), it is to be assumed that the following matters are likely to be diminished by reason of vulnerability—

the quality of P's evidence;
where P is a party to the proceedings, P's participation in the proceedings.

The persons referred to in subsection (2) are—

a party to the proceedings;
a relative of a party to the proceedings (other than P);
a witness in the proceedings.

Rules of court may provide for an exception to the provision made by virtue of subsection (2) where P does not wish to be deemed to be eligible for the making of a special measures direction by virtue of that subsection.

In this section—

  • “family proceedings” has the meaning given by section 75(3) of the Courts Act 2003;

  • “relative” has the meaning given by section 63(1) of the Family Law Act 1996;

  • “special measures” means such measures as may be specified by rules of court for the purpose of assisting a person to give evidence or participate in proceedings;

  • “special measures direction” means a direction by the court granting special measures.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.