Survey on expert reports in family law
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has launched a survey to learn more about professionals providing expert reports in family-law proceedings.
In private family-law cases, expert welfare or ‘voice of the child’ reports may be ordered by the court.
The initiative is aimed at helping with the development and establishment of a panel of assessors for such reports.
Competencies and skills
The survey will collect data on professional background, qualifications, and training, to understand the competencies and skills required.
The department says that the survey findings will be considered alongside insights from organisations involved in representing families and children, as well as follow-up focus groups.
In 2024, the department published a review of the role of expert reports in the family-law process, which set out 20 recommendations aimed at promoting consistency and common standards in hearing the voice of the child and safeguarding their best interests.
Minister Jim O’Callaghan said that the survey being launched would provide essential data for the development and establishment of a panel of assessors that would increase access to, and provide regulation of, professionals preparing reports, and standardise practices relating to how they are developed.
The survey, which opened last Friday (26 June), will run until Friday 24 July.