Pathways – A collaborative response to domestic abuse

A Collaborative Response
to Domestic Abuse

Fast, free, emergency legal support and protection

About us

At Pathways we have a collaborative multi agency response to a achieve faster access to justice and protection for victim/survivors of domestic abuse in our community.

Enabling police and frontline support agencies to make instant victim/survivor referrals via our Pathways App to receive legal support and real time tracking when making applications for legal aid and civil injunctions, such as non-molestation orders, occupation orders and other domestic abuse protection orders.

Different types of protection

NMO

A Non-Molestation Injunction is a court order that provides protection for you and your children from domestic abuse. It prevents violence, threats, and unwanted contact from a partner, ex-partner, or family member.

PSO

A Prohibited Steps Order that stops a person with parental responsibility from taking certain actions or making decisions about a child without the court’s approval, helping to safeguard the child’s safety and wellbeing.

CAO

A Child Arrangements Order (CAO) is a court order made under the Children Act 1989 in England, which sets out who a child will live with, spend time with, and have contact with, prioritising the child’s welfare and best interests.

Occupation Orders

Occupation Orders help manage who can live in or access your home. They can require the abuser to leave, stay in specific rooms, keep their distance, and allow you to return safely.

Transfer of Tenancies

A Transfer of Tenancy removes the abuser’s name from your joint tenancy or transfers it solely to you. This gives you full legal rights to the home and prevents the abuser from having any tenancy rights.

Care Proceedings

Our specialist care team can guide and support you through care proceedings at any stage. Biological parents or those with parental responsibility are entitled to legal aid, and Local Authorities must usually complete all assessments before starting proceedings.

The Process

The Pathways app, allows the police and specialist support services to make a referral in just 60 seconds, achieving faster protection for survivors.

Benefits of the App

Faster Protection

More Survivors getting Protection

Empowering Survivors

Why use Pathways?

Saving frontline time and resources

Direct access to a panel of specialist law firms

Real time reporting and analytics

The Pathways Process

1. Make Referral

2. Law firm contacts survivor

3. Preparation to protect survivor

4. Protection order granted

Why use Pathways?

Saving frontline time and resources

Direct access to a panel of specialist law firms

Real time reporting and analytics

The Pathways Process

1. Make Referral

2. Law firm contacts survivor

3. Preparation to protect survivor

4. Protection order granted

FAQ's

How the process works

Once the legal aid assessment is done which can take place as soon as we have your means evidence, a Solicitor will contact you to discuss the statement that has been prepared on your behalf which sets out the background and the reasons you are making the application.

Once you have approved your statement, the Solicitor will send it to Court. The Court have guidelines for issuing urgent applications which is currently 72 hours.

The Court will inform the Solicitor of the date of the first hearing and they will let you know when your application will be heard by a judge.

Sometimes it is on the same day that the court receive the application and sometimes it is around a week later.

The Solicitor will update you about this and explain the process to you both verbally and by letter.

You can always email the solicitor if you have any questions.

Legal Aid

Where there is evidence of domestic abuse you may be entitled to free legal advice and assistance. The Legal Aid Agency have merits and means criteria, which means that we have to show that you require urgent assistance to obtain a protective order and that your income and capital are below certain limits.

Where you are receiving a passported benefit (ESA, JSA, UC) this will usually mean that you are pass the means criteria without further means assessment. If you are working, then the legal aid agency will need to check you meet their means criteria limits.

DAPO’s

A Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO) in the UK is a court order designed to protect victims from abusive partners, ex-partners, or family members. It can impose conditions such as banning contact, restricting proximity, or excluding the abuser from a home, with breaches treated as a criminal offence.

Pro Bono

Pathways' pro bono system is a core part of its commitment to social impact, operating under a 1-1-1 model:

1% of profits are donated to client support organisations.
1% of all work is provided pro bono to clients.
1% of employee time is dedicated to paid volunteering with community causes.

This approach ensures that vulnerable individuals and families receive free legal support, even if they don't qualify for Legal Aid. Pathways also runs weekly free advice clinics, offering 10 hours of pro bono work each week to support local families in need. Instagram

If you're seeking assistance, Pathways welcomes pro bono referrals from individuals and agencies, reviewing each case on its merits. If they're unable to help directly, they'll assist in finding the right support.

Training

We provide free training for all our partners, Police, IDVAs, Charities and Local Authorities across the UK