The Minister for justice, migration and home affairs recently announced the establishment of the Children’s Court Advocate pilot project in two locations, Waterford and Clonmel.

The Children’s Court Advocate pilot seeks to improve how the voice of the child is heard and considered in private family law proceedings. The aim is to ensure children can access child friendly and appropriate information about the legal process and are given meaningful opportunities to express their views in a manner appropriate to their age, development, and individual needs. The pilot reflects the objective of the Family Justice Strategy to make the reformed system more child-centred.

Minister O’Callaghan said the project seeks to support children with “clear, accessible information” about the legal process and empower them to express their views on decisions that affect them.

The programme will apply to all applications made for guardianship, custody and access. A consultation took place with children to help inform the programme’s structure and goals.

A review will be carried out no later than 18 months into the project and, subject to the outcome of that review and availability of funding, it is intended that phase two will expand the scope of the pilot to include incoming Circuit Court divorce and judicial-separation cases.

The pilot scheme is expected to run for three years. A continuous evaluation will take place to evaluate the scheme’s efficacy in empowering children’s voices in family law cases. According to the department, the Children’s Court Advocate pilot seeks to improve how the voice of the child is heard and considered in private family-law proceedings.

Alongside reforms to child law, Minister O’Callaghan said the Department of Justice would issue Expression of Interests (EOIs) to Waterford Community-Based Organisations to help implement restorative justice measures.

Restorative Justice is viewed as a cornerstone of a modern rehabilitation-centred justice system. “Evidence shows that this practice can support victims to recover from the impact of a crime, as well as serving to reduce re-offending,” said Minister O’Callaghan.

The service will conduct EOI competitions this year to expand restorative justice services to Waterford and South Tipperary.

 

NB – This is a guide for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have an issue requiring legal advice, please contact any of the team at Nolan Farrell & Goff LLP, whose numbers can be found on our website www.nfg.ie, or email info@nfg.ie.