New guidance available to help victims of domestic violence or child abuse

Posted by familylaw on 14th April 2015

Last updated 27th April 2023

New guidance is now available to help victims of child abuse or domestic violence, to help them discover if they are eligible for legal aid.

The guidance also sets out any evidence that individuals will need to provide to show that they or their child

• Have been at risk or have suffered from domestic abuse
• Meets the eligibility criteria

What counts as evidence?

Usually, you will need to show that either you or your child were at risk, or have had injuries or a condition caused by domestic abuse from an ex-partner. This can be in the form of a letter from either your GP or the police.

There are a number of other agencies that you can also ask for evidence from, such as:

• Social services
• The courts
• Domestic violence support service
• A multi-agency risk assessment conference, or MARAC

Gaining evidence

In order to get the evidence, there are sample letters available which can then be given to whoever is providing the evidence for you.

• Domestic abuse sample letters can be found here.
• Child abuse sample letters can be found here.

This letter can then be given to your solicitor, and matters can proceed from there. If you have any question regarding this or any other issues, please feel free to contact our Plymouth and Exeter family solicitors.

Need some advice? Get in touch today