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2026 Domestic Abuse Conference

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Details

Speaker: Various

Date: Wednesday 20th May, 2026

Time: 13:00 - 16:30

Areas of Law: Family

Competencies: B

Venue:
Taylor Wessing LLP,
Edward Pavilion Royal,
Liverpool,
L3 4AF

Course Code: S4965

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Description

This half‑day conference brings together leading practitioners to explore the most significant developments shaping domestic abuse law and safeguarding practice. Designed for professionals across family law, the event offers a timely opportunity to stay ahead of fast‑moving policy and procedural changes. The programme will cover an in‑depth update on the new molestation orders, examining what has changed. Attendees will also hear a detailed review of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, reflecting on where we stand a year and a half into the DAPO pilot and will explore MAPPA, helping participants understand its purpose and what it means for effective multi‑agency working.

*Multi Delegate Discount Offer for Members* Pay member rate for 1st delegate, then £99 for 2nd & only £49 for all other delegates (+vat)

Booking total will show full price but invoice will be discounted. Multi delegate discounts cannot be used in conjunction with the Training Passport

This event can be attended in-person or virtually (via MS Teams). When booking, please select if you wish to attend ‘Face-to-face’ or ‘Virtual’. All bookings, whether you attended in-person or virtually will be able to access a recording post event.

Arrival and Registration

Welcome

The New 2026 Non Molestation Guidance on MAPO's: Implications for Practitioners - Maham Qureshi, St Johns Building

Non-Molestation Orders are crucial for the protection of an innocent party including children from a threatening or violent perpetrator. They carry serious consequences for a respondent which can include imprisonment, if breached and are an infringement of a person’s ordinary human rights, such as the prohibition of entering their home, street or even communication with their children. It is therefore imperative that the court’s fully evaluate applications for non-molestation orders, in particulars those made without notice whereby the court has the power to make an interim non-molestation order in the absence of a respondent. The new guidance on NMO’s provide practitioners with the proper process which should be followed in those circumstances. Whilst it is always important that the applicant gets the protection they need, this must be balanced against any prejudice to the respondent. So, how can practitioners be safely assured that they have followed the right process for a NMO either with or without notice? This will be explored in greater detail during the session.

DAPOs in Practice: Insights from the Pilot Eighteen Months Later - Chris Wallace - Central Chambers

Domestic Abuse Protection Orders were introduced with an ambitious aim: to replace a fragmented and often inconsistent landscape of protective measures with a single, flexible order capable of operating across jurisdictions. Twelve months into the pilot, that ambition is only partially realised.

In practice, DAPOs have proven to be a powerful tool, particularly in cases involving coercive and controlling behaviour where traditional remedies have struggled to provide meaningful protection. The ability to impose positive requirements, alongside restrictive conditions, marks a significant shift towards addressing perpetrator behaviour rather than merely containing risk.

However, the reality on the ground is more complex. Procedural uncertainty, uneven regional implementation, and inconsistent availability of intervention programmes mean that DAPOs are not yet functioning as the streamlined, universal remedy envisaged by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Instead, they currently sit alongside existing orders, adding another layer to an already crowded legal framework.

What is clear, however, is that where properly utilised, DAPOs offer a level of flexibility and enforceability that represents a genuine evolution in the legal response to domestic abuse. The challenge over the next phase will not be legislative innovation, but consistent and effective implementation.”

Refreshment Break

Making Sense of MAPPA: What Practitioners Need to Know - Inspector Matusiak Maciej Jakub

Topic TBC - Rachael Banks, MSB Solicitors

Thanks and Round Up

Speaker Biographies

Maham Qureshi is a specialist family law barrister. She represents parents in complex and intricate private children law matters and also has extensive experience of representing clients in family law act proceedings such as those concerning contested non-molestation and occupation order hearings. Maham also represents clients in a wide range of financial remedies proceedings as well as applications for financial provision for children pursuant to Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989.

Chris Wallace is an independent barrister at Central Chambers, specialising in family law with experience across both public and private children proceedings. He is regularly instructed in cases involving domestic abuse, acting for both victims and alleged perpetrators, including in complex and high-risk matters, as well as cases involving neglect, substance misuse, and serious harm. He is known for delivering clear, practical advice tailored to the needs of the client, particularly in sensitive and challenging cases. Before coming to the Bar, Chris had a career in the games industry and later ran his own business in photography and graphic design. He completed his legal training at the University of Law, was awarded a scholarship by Middle Temple, and obtained a Distinction in his LLM.

Prices
Member £110
Non-member £155
Training Passport Free
Note: 20% VAT added at checkout