Family Law

The Government has launched a public consultation seeking views on whether to introduce a scheme for disclosing information about an individual's history of domestic violence to a new partner.

The consultation asks whether the protection of victims of domestic violence can be improved by the establishment of a national Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme and if such a scheme could work in practice.

Launching the consultation, Home Secretary Theresa May said: "I have been clear that ending violence against women and girls is a personal priority for me and this government. Domestic violence is a particularly dreadful form of abuse and I want us to constantly look at new ways of protecting victims and preventing tragic incidents from happening."

The police already have common law powers to disclose information relating to previous convictions or charges to the public where there is a pressing need for disclosure of the information concerning an individual's history in order to prevent further crime. However, calls for the introduction of a national disclosure scheme have gained momentum following the tragic case of Clare Wood, who was murdered by her former partner in Greater Manchester in 2009.  Her partner had three previous convictions under the Protection from Harassment At 1997.