Drawing the line – suspension of parental responsibility: a consideration of s 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

Amanda Jane Newby Assistant Professor Solicitor non-practicing  University of Northumbria Newcastle

Section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 also known as Jade’s Law will place a mandatory duty on the Crown Court to make a Prohibited Steps Order (PSO) suspending the parental responsibility (PR) of a parent who is convicted of the murder or manslaughter of a partner or ex-partner with whom they have children.

This article takes a forensic look at s 18 in terms of its limited scope and practical application. It concludes that however well intentioned s 18 falls far short of the government aims to ‘better protect children’ and remove the burden of applying for a PSO from the surviving children’s carers.

It discusses other serious offences such as child sexual abuse and domestic abuse related suicide which surprisingly are not within the scope of s 18.

It considers the impact of making the PSO at the point of sentencing rather than at the point of charge and the ‘interests of justice’ exemption designed to benefit victims of domestic abuse who kill their abuser....