ABC: Family Court does not listen to kids in violence and abuse cases

In a scathing piece in which two kids were interviewed, the ABC says that the Family Court does not listen to kids’ lived experiences in cases of violence and abuse.

The story illustrates that the limitations of the Family Court system rely on family report writers, and officers of child protection services who may get it wrong, and then ultimately on judges who might get it wrong.

The case also illustrates the basic point that Family Court cases where there are allegations of domestic and family violence or allegations of child sexual, physical or emotional abuse are no walks in the park. Any party who prepares for cases of this kind must do so extremely thoroughly- so that the truth can be properly put before the court, and the court can then come to the right result.

Since my first complex parenting litigation – back in the 1980’s, while there have been changes in how the system operates, the Family Law Courts system operates in a fairly similar way to the way it did back then. I cannot emphasise enough the need for thorough preparation in the search for truth. Anything less fails the children.