Family Court Fails Vulnerable Children

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A review of the Family Law system has been scathing in its criticism of court orders, finding that the Family Court is systematically failing children it’s supposed to be protecting.

When James* was just six years old, the Family Court of Australia ordered that he live with his abusive father, a man who’s documented file with the Department of Family and Community Services was extensive, and included three separate reports of child sexual abuse by three different women, all previous partners. One of those reports had been investigated and ‘substantiated’.

Despite this, James, a vulnerable, defenceless child, was taken from his mother, and placed into the care of his father. For years after that, James suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

In an ideal world, James’ case would be a rare and isolated error. But unfortunately, it’s not.

James’ story is one of many harrowing examples uncovered by the recent Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) review of the federal family court system. The review has exposed one of Australia’s greatest shames – a litany of problems across the entire family court and child protection system, which has meant that children are often delivered into harm’s way, and left there, to cope on their own.While some were ultimately able to take matters into their own hands – James, who is now 19, eventually convinced police to take an Apprehended Violence Order out on his father, and another, Sarah*, ran away, to her adult step sister who fought legally to take her into care – others have suffered horrendous fates. Tiahleigh Palmer, for example, was killed at the hands of unfit adults.

Systemic failures

The Family Court and Federal Circuit Court were recently merged in a bid to ease pressures on the system which has long been criticised as slow, confusing and prohibitively expensive – making it out of reach for those who need it most.

However, as the ALRC suggests that these issues are just the tip of the iceberg.

The ALRC inquiry has found that one of the greatest problems in the entire system is the communicative gap between the federal family court and state and territory courts, child protection services and police.

The Federal family courts often hear allegations of family violence and child abuse, but they have limited powers to investigate them, and instead rely on state and territory courts and agencies to do that work and to share information about the risks to families and children.

Another great hindrance is that information databases do not enable FACS staff to immediately connect historical information, such as the allegations of abuse against James’ father, to James’ file, to build a picture of the families they’re dealing with.

A third problem is the power afforded ‘court writers’ who are relied heavily upon to provide ‘expert testimony’ that will often impact a court’s decision about the living arrangements of a child.

Under the Family Law Act 1975, the court must consider the child’s safety, but also their right to a meaningful relationship with both parents.

In order to make such decisions, courts rely on consultants such as family report writers to make recommendations about what is in the child’s best interest. These report writers ‘fill in the gaps’ identified above. These writers are often psychologists, psychiatrists or social workers, but they are not required to have specific training or expertise in family violence or child sexual assault.

Last year, in New South Wales, a family report writer was referred to the Medical Council for investigation after a series of complaints from parents. The incident has put the role of ‘expert writers’ into the spotlight.

These individuals carry enormous responsibility and wield extraordinary power when it comes to influencing the outcome of family court cases.

Many believe the bar is set too low when it comes to the expertise of these people, and that accountability mechanisms in respect of the assertions they make are insufficient. They highlight the fact that inaccuracies can have a substantial and irreversible impact on families. While there are Australian Standards of Practice of Family Assessments and Reporting that private report writers are encouraged to comply with, they don’t necessarily have to.

Plans for reform

ALRC has made 60 recommendations for reform of the system, one of which is to take the family court system out of the federal domain and put it back into the states and territories, where it has better access to other resources.

This goes directly against the merger of the family courts and Federal Circuit court currently underway.

Despite this, Attorney General Christian Porter says he “fully committed to considering and developing individual responses to the complex issues raised in each of the recommendations made in the final ALRC report”.

Earlier this year, the Attorney-General’s Department announced $11 million in funding over three years to place state and territory child protection officials in family law courts across Australia and the family courts in Victoria have launched an information-sharing protocol with the state health service — initiatives that go some way towards bridge the jurisdictional gap.

And there is a great deal of pressure to improve the system. Not just from families currently affected by its inadequacies, but from adult survivors, such as James and Sarah, who are part of a growing movement of Australians coming together to demand change.

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About Sonia Hickey

Sonia Hickey is a freelance writer and magazine journalist with an interest in social justice, and a member of the Sydney Criminal Lawyers® content team.

6 Comments

  1. James

    There is a big difference between saying good and doing good! What value engaging in subjectivity – i.e. courts, judges & family report writers, etc – if the damage to the two parties is overwhelmingly financial and critical lost time with ones children!?! The ‘value’ in default 50/50 shared access, for parents without convictions for violence, is that it is swift, unambiguous, administratively easy, cheap and let’s parents without consent orders separate and get on with the being the best Mum or Dad they can be! Frankly, for it to be otherwise for parties who want 50% access (or more) is sexist and has no place in the 21st century Australia.

  2. bilal yalcinkaya

    hi sonia ,, i realy would like to speak to you ,, about the family court nightmsre the have caused me , since 2012 march ,, till now its still goin on in 2 countrys now ,,its a long huge story , you could wrote aovie about this ,, 2 countrys turkey & australis governments and law and courts systems ,, 2 police force + interpol ,, the haque convention,, havent seen my little girl in over 6 years ,, all because this incompetent judge broke the law that theyvreated and i applied, he overturned an airport warchlist that i put on bavk im march 2012,, he let my evil X go for6 weeks to istanbul turkey january 2013 tillbout tbe 3rd of march 2013 ,, even thogh i wonevery court here in sydney , all false assult charges and the fabricated unfoundedl lias and alligations in courts ,,, i won thr haque convention international child abduction kidnapping case az well in istanbul in april 2015 to grt my little girl back who was born here iandis australian citizen by birth , ive had the green light since then till today to get my daughter and bring her back home with me ,,,, the decision in the turkish supreme court still stands today ,, but nobody cares or is doing anything about it ,,, i tryed to get my story out ,, today tonite 7 ,,, current affairs 9 ,,alan jones ray hadley, the local mp,s ,, i even when toturkey 5 times spent months their ,, even personaly went to the australian embassador in ankara the capital australian consolos in istanbul ,, to the supreme court and the crown prosercuter ,, i have a lawyer acting their ,,,, but all these years kater still nothing , even though i won many courts thatgot thrown at me ,,, i filed for custody in both countrys and put melisa on the airport watchlists here and their ,, please its a long story ,, i would realy like to talk to you about it ,,,,and maybe get some help assistance and get my story out ,, its a huge story ,, bigger than all storys similar ive seen or heard on tv or news or anything ,, i will explain in greater detail , you will be astonished and shocked how bad the corrupt family courts let me down and screwed myn and my little girls life up ,,,i want a royal commission in to my case and compensation they totaly destroyed my life and turned my world upside down , hope to here from and thanking you ,,,,, bilal yalcinkaya

  3. Rob. Bernath

    I think a Royal Commission is the only way to go when dealing with this court. It certainly is a disgrace and like many other people who have had dealings with the court I have come out the other end not having seen my 2 children since 1994. I was accused of doing everything from not flushing the toilet to drinking rainwater from a spoon – it cost me $3000 a day to try and clear my name while it did it didn’t make any difference as to whether I saw my children and had contact with them……it didn’t. The court did not enforce its orders.
    Like any parent not seeing their children, hearing from them, being able to contact them it has affected my life – I think of them every day, I want to see them every day Someone should pay for these dilemmas suffered by many victims of the Family Court. I think we deserve compensation for these errors in Judgement by mostly Judicial Registrars trying to make a big name for themselves……I know I am being harsh but if you suffered the loss of your children through no fault of your own what else can you be. I will finish there.

  4. Roslyn Jeffrey

    I am a victim of unfairness in the family court going back some 37 years. As a young 22 year old mum of two little girls I had no idea family law existed until the day I trusted my ex mother in law to mind my little girls while I went to work, only to pick them and be told I couldn’t take them and I would be hearing from a solicitor. I lost custody of my little girls aged 2 and 4 as my the time it went to court, my ex husband and his mother were awarded custody due to the girls being “stable in their care for 12 months and shouldn’t be made to move”. For a mother to only have access to her daughters every 2nd weekend killed me mentally. I have always suffered unfair guilt because of the lies told in the numerous affidavits by my ex and his mother. Recently I tried to kill myself due to issues with my daughter. I have just been diagnosed with PTSD put down to that day as mentally I have not been the same since that judgement was passed.

  5. Jacki medley

    Nothings changed I’m in court now and I never thought I would see so much corruption. My daughter is damaged now all because of people within the court system Had their own agenda not my daughter’s best interest a long history of domestic violence just a failed system and we suffer since court orders in 2019 we’ve lived in hell with moved four times we’ve been threatened my daughter’s been hurt on supervised visits police FACS do nothing I have over 700 pages of proof no one cares and believe me I’ve contacted everyone From the attorney general down failed by FACS
    Failed by Police
    Failed by the court system especially the ICL who out right lies and makes things up to suit her own agenda
    SUCO supervising service in Wollongong lying in their reports while my child was being abused by her father I have proof I have proof of everything I never thought in Australia we would leave worse than a third world country where women and children have no rights and that’s what’s happened in court doesn’t matter how abusive the father was I’m just alienating making it up using services he killed our first baby 13 weeks one dayPregnant I had faxed come to hospital and tell me I couldn’t take her home if I was with him but he can kidnap nine months later and she ends up in hospital again and that’s all okay with the family court isn’t it because we agree with domestic violence we excepted we are allowed to say anything I should’ve just stayed she would’ve been safe shame on all involved but I will bring it to light I will not be threatened or forced ever again

  6. Belinda Burgess

    That’s why the abolishment of the section 32 of the Family Law act needs to happen. This act prevents people speaking out about their corrupt family law case. If the public knew how many kids were awarded to the abuser in custody cases there would be a public uproar. This is how the corrupt judges and lawyers get away with failing their duty of care of vulnerable children

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