The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (Commencement No. 8) Regulations 2025

Made: 5th November 2025

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 81(2) and (5) of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024[^f00001].

Citation and interpretation

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (Commencement No. 8) Regulations 2025.

• (2) In these Regulations, “the 2024 Act” means the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.

Provision coming into force on 7th November 2025

2

Section 20 of the 2024 Act (child victims of domestic abuse) comes into force on 7th November 2025, in so far as it relates to the insertion of section 49A (arrangements to notify schools etc) into the Domestic Abuse Act 2021[^f00002].

Provisions coming into force on 12th January 2026

3

The following provisions of the 2024 Act come into force on 12th January 2026—

• (a) section 28 (information relating to victims);

• (b) section 29 (information relating to victims: service police etc);

• (c) section 30 (review of provisions relating to counselling information requests).

Signed

Jess Phillips — Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State — Home Office — 5th November 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Explanatory Note

These Regulations bring into force specified provisions of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (c. 21) (“the 2024 Act”). These are the eighth commencement Regulations made under the 2024 Act.

Regulation 2 partially brings into force section 20 (child victims of domestic abuse) of the 2024 Act to insert section 49A (arrangements to notify schools etc) into the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (c. 17). Section 49A requires all police forces to have arrangements in place to ensure that, where a member of a force has reasonable grounds to believe a child may be a victim of domestic abuse, educational establishments that the child attends are notified as soon as is reasonably practicable. The duty to notify is subject to exceptions that may be specified in regulations.

Regulation 3(a) brings into force section 28 (information relating to victims) of the 2024 Act which inserts sections 44A to 44E (requests for information relating to victims) into the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (c. 32) (“the 2022 Act”). These sections impose duties on the police and other authorised persons when requesting victim information from a third party. The Secretary of State is also required to prepare a code of practice for the police and other authorised persons regarding such requests and compliance with sections 44A to 44E.

Regulation 3(b) brings into force section 29 (information relating to victims: service police etc) of the 2024 Act which inserts section 44F (application of this Chapter to service police etc) into the 2022 Act. This section imposes duties on the service police when requesting victim information from a third party.

Regulation 3(c) brings into force section 30 (review of provisions relating to counselling information requests) of the 2024 Act. This section requires the Secretary of State to prepare a report about the operation, in the review period, of Chapter 3A of the 2022 Act (requests for information relating to victims), in relation to counselling information requests.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this statutory instrument as no, or no significant impact, on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2024 c. 21.

[^f00002]: 2021 c. 17.