POLICY REFORM PROPOSAL

Strengthening Safeguarding and Financial Transparency in Family Courts

SAFECHAIN™ Policy Reform Proposal

Author: Samantha Avril-Andreassen
Institution: SAFECHAIN™ Policy & Innovation Initiative
Version: 1.0 — October 2026

Executive Summary

Financial Remedy proceedings are designed to ensure equitable outcomes following the breakdown of a marriage or civil partnership. Central to this process is financial disclosure, primarily conducted through Form E within the Family Procedure Rules.

However, increasing awareness of economic abuse, coercive control, and complex financial arrangements has highlighted structural weaknesses in the existing disclosure framework. The current system relies heavily on self-reported financial information and subsequent investigation where discrepancies arise.

This proposal introduces SAFECHAIN™, a safeguarding infrastructure model designed to strengthen transparency and institutional coordination within family court financial disclosure processes.

SAFECHAIN™ proposes a verification framework enabling authorised institutions to support financial disclosures through verified signals from existing records such as HMRC, Companies House, and Land Registry.

The Problem

Several systemic challenges currently affect financial remedy proceedings:

Reliance on self-reported financial disclosures
Complex financial arrangements can delay the identification of hidden or misrepresented assets.

Institutional fragmentation
Financial and safeguarding information often exists across multiple institutions that do not share coordinated verification systems.

Procedural inequality
Significant disparities in financial resources between parties may influence litigation dynamics and access to legal representation.

Safeguarding context gaps
Clinical indicators of trauma or coercive control may not always be fully contextualised within legal proceedings.

The SAFECHAIN™ Policy Solution

SAFECHAIN™ introduces four structural improvements:

Verified Financial Disclosure

Financial declarations can be supported through authorised institutional verification signals, improving transparency while preserving legal due process.

Institutional Safeguarding Coordination

Courts, healthcare providers, housing authorities, and safeguarding organisations may share structured safeguarding signals within appropriate governance frameworks.

Financial Parity Safeguards

Courts may be supported by policy mechanisms that reduce resource disparities between parties in complex proceedings.

Historical Financial Continuity

Institutional records may provide authorised historical financial context where relevant to legal proceedings.

Expected Benefits

If implemented responsibly, SAFECHAIN™ could:

• improve financial disclosure transparency
• reduce prolonged litigation
• strengthen safeguarding awareness
• improve procedural fairness.

Policy Pathway

Implementation would require collaboration between:

• Ministry of Justice
• HM Revenue & Customs
• Companies House
• Family Court jurisdictions
• safeguarding bodies.

A pilot programme is recommended before wider adoption.

© 2026 Samantha Avril-Andreassen. All rights reserved.
SAFECHAIN™ is a conceptual safeguarding infrastructure and policy framework authored by Samantha Avril-Andreassen. Reproduction or implementation of this framework without permission is prohibited.