Assumption: "Once a new Act gets Royal Assent, the family court process changes the next day."

Court Reality

The Victims and Courts Act 2026 received Royal Assent in May 2026 and is item 2 on the Family Procedure Rule Committee's Tier 1 list, dealing with restriction of the exercise of parental responsibility. The Committee is still working through the changes that follow, with updates due at its November 2026 meeting. An Act is the instruction; the rules, practice directions and forms are the machinery that makes it work in a courtroom, and that machinery is drafted and introduced separately. Until it lands, the process in your court may not have changed at all. Check the Committee's published updates rather than assuming the new law is already being applied at the counter.