Local MP secures cross-party support for Claire’s campaign to change the law to protect children’s lives

Marie Tidball MP hosted an event in Parliament, to bring together a group of cross-party MPs, Claire Throssell MBE, Women’s Aid, and Right to Equality to campaign to remove presumption of contact from law and put children at the centre of the family courts. The legal principle currently allows known domestic abusive parents to have unsupervised contact with their children and has led to 48 child deaths. 

Claire Throssell was joined by Dr Charlotte Proudman, Dr Adrienne Barnett from Right to Equality, and campaigners from Women’s Aid who work closely with Claire on the Child First Campaign. MPs attended from across different political parties, to discuss with Claire and the organisations how they can raise the urgency of this issue in Parliament, and work together to change the law. Marie Tidball and Claire Throssell both made speeches to the packed room, making clear that children must always be put first in family courts. 

10 years ago in Penistone, Paul and Jack Skyes were horrifically murdered, by their abusive father, who set their house on fire. Whilst in the family courts, their mother Claire Throssell repeatedly warned that their father had a history of domestic abuse and was a danger to the children’s lives. However, presumption of contact meant he was granted unsupervised children of the boys. 

The Harm Report, published in 2020, makes clear that presumption of contact is having “detrimental effects”, and that the family courts pro-contact culture actively takes away from the children’s welfare and safety. We do not know the true scale of physical and sexual abusers at the hands of known domestic abusive and violent parents, nor do we know the true scale of the deaths caused by presumption of contact, as only 10% of rulings from the family court are published. 

The Government is currently reviewing the Harm Report, but no response has yet been published. Last month, Dr Tidball urged the Prime Minister to change the law during PMQs. In his response, he made clear the government is currently reviewing the presumption of contact, and that the family courts should never be a place where abusers are allowed to continue their abuse.  

Marie Tidball MP, Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, said, 

“We must put children at the centre of family courts. Family courts must protect children from harm from perpetrators, rather than ordering contact with them. Presumption of contact is facilitating known domestic abusers to emotionally, physically and sexually abuse, and horrifically murder children. Ten years ago, Claire promised her sons that no other children would die in the same tragic circumstances. I will not stop until Claire can keep her promise.” 

Claire Throssell MBE, said, 

“It was a privilege to be able to be involved in the Parliamentary drop in session and its heartening to see how many MPs are engaging and getting involved around the issue of Presumption of Contact on behalf of their constituents.   “We know that 48 children have been murdered due to a domestically abusive parent in the past 20 years and in June thanks to heartbreaking research by Women's Aid we will know how many have been murdered over 30 years.   “With Marie's tireless efforts to repeal Presumption in law I hope that after 3 decades of failing children will come to an end and under this government children will finally have safer, brighter futures free of harm and abuse.”