Sharing experiences. Informing change.

Help the Sussex Family Justice Board (opens in new window) (SFJB) understand how family court experiences affect victim-survivors of domestic abuse and what needs to improve.

About this project

The SFJB wants to better understand the experiences of victim-survivors of domestic abuse who have been through the family court process in Sussex.

We know that family court can have a significant impact on people and their children. Through this project, we want to hear directly from those with lived experience about what worked well, what was difficult and what needs to change.

Your feedback will help us identify opportunities to improve safety, communication, support and understanding across the family justice system.

The findings will be shared with the SFJB and used to inform future improvements across partner organisations wherever possible.

Is this for me?

We want to hear from adults aged 18 or over who have experienced domestic abuse and have been involved in family court proceedings in Sussex relating to the person who caused them harm.

Whether your case is ongoing or has concluded, your experiences can help shape better support for victim-survivors and families navigating the family court system.

This project will:

✅ Gather experiences from victim-survivors
✅ Identify themes and opportunities for improvement
✅ Help inform future policy, practice and service development
✅ Contribute to recommendations made to the SFJB

This project is not:

❌ A complaints process
❌ A way to challenge court decisions
❌ A legal advice service
❌ A review of individual cases
❌ An emergency support service

While we may not be able to change what happened in your individual case, your experiences can help shape improvements for others in the future.

Would you prefer to take part in a workshop instead?

We understand that completing an online survey may not be the right approach for everyone. Some people may prefer to share their experiences in a supported group setting, while others may face accessibility, digital, language or other barriers that make completing the survey difficult.

If you would like to contribute to this project through a future workshop instead of completing the survey, you can register your interest by contacting:

📧 CommunitySafety.Wellbeing@westsussex.gov.uk

Please include:

• 'SFJB workshop' in the e-mail subject heading
• Your name (or preferred name)
• The area in which you currently live:
  • Brighton & Hove
  • East Sussex
  • West Sussex

You do not need to provide details about your family court experience at this stage.

A member of the project team will contact you when workshop arrangements are being finalised and will provide further information about how to take part.

Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place in a workshop, but we will do our best to accommodate everyone who wishes to participate.

Complaints and concerns

If you have concerns or would like to make a complaint, the route will depend on what your concern relates to.

Concerns about the family court or your individual case

If your concern relates to:

• A court decision or outcome
• The conduct of HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff
• Your experience of court proceedings
• The way your case was handled

you will need to use the HMCTS complaints process:

🔗 HMCTS Complaints procedure (opens in new window)

Please note that this project cannot investigate individual cases, review court decisions, provide legal advice, or intervene in ongoing proceedings.

Concerns about this survey or engagement project

If your concern relates to:

• The Sussex Family Court Survivor Voice Project
• The survey itself
• Future workshops
• Accessibility of the engagement
• Your experience of participating

please contact the Community Safety & Wellbeing Team:

📧 CommunitySafety.Wellbeing@westsussex.gov.uk

We welcome feedback and will review any comments, concerns or complaints about the engagement process.

Taking part safely

Some people may find it difficult or upsetting to think about their experiences of family court or domestic abuse.

You can:

• Take breaks whenever you need to
• Stop the survey at any time
• Return later to complete the survey if you are signed in to Your Voice

We recognise that reflecting on experiences of domestic abuse and family court proceedings can be difficult. You may find it helpful to let a trusted person, such as a friend, family member, support worker or advocate, know that you are completing the survey so they can offer support if needed.

You can stop the survey at any time and return later if you have registered for a Your Voice account. If completing the survey causes distress, please consider contacting one of the support organisations listed below.

• National Domestic Abuse Helpline (opens in new window) Tel: 0808 2000 247

• West Sussex Domestic Abuse Support (opens in new window)

• East Sussex Domestic Abuse Support (opens in new window)

• Brighton & Hove Domestic Abuse Support (opens in new window)

• Samaritans (opens in new window) Tel: 116 123

• Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline (opens in new window) Tel: 0800 0119 100

• Mankind Initiative - Support for Male Victims of Domestic Abuse (opens in new window) Helpline: 01823 334244

• NHS 111 (opens in new window) Tel: 111

Safeguarding and confidentiality

We will treat the information you share with care and respect. However, if information is provided during the survey or a workshop that indicates there may be a risk of serious harm to you, a child, or another person, we may need to take appropriate action to help keep people safe.

Where contact details have been provided and a safeguarding concern is identified, this may be followed up in line with West Sussex County Council's safeguarding responsibilities or the safeguarding procedures of the organisation facilitating a workshop.

If information is provided anonymously and we do not have enough information to identify or contact the person involved, we may not be able to take any further action.

If you believe you or someone else is at immediate risk of harm, please contact the emergency services on 999.

How long will it take?

The survey will take approximately:

20–30 minutes

You can provide as much or as little information as you wish.

What happens next?

After the survey closes:

1. Responses will be analysed alongside insights gathered through survivor workshops
2. Findings will be shared with the SFJB
3. Recommendations for improvement will be developed
4. A "You Said, We Did" update will be published on this page to explain how feedback has influenced future work

Your personal information will not be identified in any published reports.

Alternate formats and accessibility

If you require any of this information in an alternative format, then please contact us by phone 01243 777100 or via email at CommunitySafety.Wellbeing@westsussex.gov.uk and we will assist you. If you are deaf or hard of hearing and have an BT UK Relay texting app installed on your computer, laptop or smartphone, you can contact us on 18001 01243 777100.

Please note, you can use the Google Translate function to access this project in a range of different languages. The Google Translate widget can be found at the top left-hand side of this project page, where it sits just above the black West Sussex County Council ribbon.

For more information about the accessibility of this website, please see our Accessibility tab (opens in new window) at the foot of the page.

Survey web browser compatibility

Please use one of the browsers below when completing the survey to ensure it looks and works as it should. These are:

• Microsoft Edge version 86 and above
• Chrome version 86 and above
• Firefox version 78 and above
• Safari version 14 and above