Letters from doctors, following video or telephone consultations, which offer evidence of domestic abuse will now be accepted by courts in England and Wales for legal aid applications.
The change was a provision in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 which took effect on 17 October. Others include:
- ensuring special guardians, family members or friends who take on parental responsibilities for a child, are eligible for legal aid in private court proceedings determining parental control over a child; and
- ensuring victims of domestic abuse applying for indefinite leave to remain in the UK, under immigration rules, are eligible for legal aid.
Once granted new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, domestic abuse survivors will also be eligible for legal aid. However, those notices and orders will only be implemented following a future pilot scheme.
