FAQs

The Sussex Family Court Survivor Voice Project is an opportunity for people with experience of the family court system to share their views and experiences.

We want to understand what worked well, what could have been better, and what changes survivors would like to see. The findings will help the Sussex Family Justice Board and partner organisations identify opportunities to improve the experiences of children and survivors of domestic abuse within the family court system.

You can take part if you meet all the criteria below:

• You are aged 18 or over.
• You have been a victim-survivor of domestic abuse.
• You have experience of the family court system in Sussex.
• Your case is ongoing or has concluded.
• You wish to share your experiences to help inform future improvements.

You do not need to have used a support service to take part.

Survivors are experts in their own experiences.

We know that family court proceedings can have a significant impact on children, parents and carers. By listening directly to those who have been through the process, we can better understand what is working well and where improvements may be needed.

Your responses will be combined with those of other participants and used to:

• Identify common themes and experiences.
• Inform recommendations for improvement.
• Support future work by the Sussex Family Justice Board and partner agencies.

Findings will be reported anonymously.

The survey is designed to protect your privacy.

You will not be asked to provide information that could directly identify you unless you choose to do so. Any reporting from this project will be anonymous and will not identify individual participants.

No.

Taking part in this project will not affect any current or future family court proceedings. Your responses will not be used as evidence in court and will not be shared with judges making decisions about individual cases.

Yes.

We welcome feedback from people whose cases are ongoing as well as those whose cases have concluded.

However, please avoid sharing information that could identify you or others involved in active proceedings.

No.

Most questions can be skipped if you do not wish to answer them. You can choose to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with.

We expect the survey to take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

If you would like to save your progress and return later, you will need to register for a free Your Voice account before starting the survey. Registering allows you to pause your responses and come back to them at a later time. 

If you choose not to register, you will need to complete the survey in one session.

Talking about family court experiences and domestic abuse can be emotional.

Please consider whether this is the right time for you to participate. You can stop the survey at any point.

Support information and contact details for specialist services are available on the project page if you would like to speak to someone.

Yes.

If taking part raises difficult feelings or concerns, support is available from specialist domestic abuse and victim support services. Details of support organisations can be found on the project page.

If you are in immediate danger, please contact emergency services on 999.

Yes. You can save your progress and return to complete the survey later, however please note that you will need to register an account on the Your Voice platform in order to do this.

This project:

• Is not a complaints process.
• Cannot investigate individual cases.
• Cannot change court decisions.
• Cannot provide legal advice.
• Cannot intervene in ongoing proceedings.

The purpose of the project is to understand experiences and identify opportunities for improvement across the system.

Survey responses will be reviewed alongside findings from survivor engagement workshops.

The Sussex Family Justice Board will consider the findings and recommendations. A summary of what we heard and how the information will be used will be published on the project page.

We are committed to providing feedback about the project findings.

A summary report and "You Said, We Did" update will be published on the project page once analysis is complete.

This project is being undertaken on behalf of the Sussex Family Justice Board, working alongside domestic abuse organisations, survivor representatives and partner agencies across Sussex.

We are committed to listening to survivor experiences and using what we learn to inform future improvements.

We welcome feedback about this project and want everyone who takes part to have a safe and positive experience.

If your concern or complaint relates to the engagement project itself (for example, the survey, workshops, accessibility, communications, or your experience of participating), please contact:

📧 CommunitySafety.Wellbeing@westsussex.gov.uk

We will review your concerns and respond as appropriate.

Please note: This project is not part of the court service and cannot investigate or resolve complaints about individual court cases, court decisions, judges, magistrates, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff, or other family justice professionals.

If your complaint relates to the court service or your experience of court proceedings, please follow the HMCTS complaints process:

🔗 HMCTS complaints procedure (opens in new window)

Please be aware that this engagement project cannot review individual cases, overturn court decisions, provide legal advice, or intervene in ongoing proceedings. The purpose of the project is to understand experiences and identify opportunities for improvement across the family justice system.

We ask some optional questions about things such as age, sex, ethnicity, disability, religion or sexual orientation.

This helps us understand whether different groups have different experiences of the family court system and ensures that recommendations consider the needs of all communities.

You do not have to answer these questions if you would prefer not to.