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18.01.2022 FAMILY AND FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT UPDATES Green Light for Lighthouse Project!! The Family Law Amendment (Risk Screening Protections) Bill 2020 was passed by the Australian Parliament on Monday 9 November 2020. This legislation provides an important framework and enables the Courts to progress the very important new family-violence and risk screening initiative, the Lighthouse Project.... The Lighthouse Project is a pilot program that will operate in Brisbane, Adelaide and Parramatta and will allow the Courts to screen for risk, identify safety concerns, assess and triage cases and provide suitable case management for families involved in the family law system. Further details of the Lighthouse Project are available from the websites of the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. Click here for further details See more

11.01.2022 Senate inquiry endorses Family Court reform Bills Media Release ... 20 November 2020 The Morrison Government has welcomed the findings of a 12-month Senate inquiry, which recommended that legislation designed to fix the broken structure of the family court system be passed by Parliament. The Federal Circuit Court and Family Court of Australia Bills will merge the two courts both of which deal with family law matters into a new single court structure to be known as the Federal Circuit and Family Court (FCFC). Each court will be preserved within that new, single structure, while creating simpler pathways and processes for families using the court system. The merger will also help to significantly reduce delays and backlogs, with independent analysis showing up to 8,000 additional cases could be resolved each year as a result of efficiencies delivered through the restructure. Attorney-General Christian Porter thanked the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee for its work on the inquiry and said the Government would now seek to progress the Bills as a priority during the next sitting fortnight. "Labor has already caused unnecessary delays to this legislation by insisting on a 12-month inquiry and I would now urge them to put politics aside and help us to deliver these important reforms which will provide significant benefits for families going through a separation," the Attorney-General said. "Everyone involved in the family law system has known for years that the system is broken and needs to be reformed as a priority. "Our legislation will simplify the system by creating a single entry point, one set of forms, procedures, rules and practice management styles, making the court process easier to navigate for families and saving them considerable time and money in the process." More information about the reforms can be found on the Attorney-General's Department website.

10.01.2022 Latest reseach. On Friday 4 December ANROWS launched a new research report on self-representation in family law proceedings involving allegations about family violence:No straight lines’: Self-represented litigants in family law proceedings involving allegations about family violence. This research, led by Dr Jane Wangmann, is grounded in extensive fieldwork, including interviews, court observation and case studies.The research identified key issues surrounding: o chall...enges faced by self-represented litigants (SRLs) in obtaining ongoing legal advice; o factors impacting an SRL’s capacity to present their case, including their expectations of the process, their ability to prepare, and trauma caused by experiences of family violence; o the centrality of paperwork and negotiations in family law processes; o the impact of ongoing violence in the courtroom and court precinct. See more

09.01.2022 The new Notice of child abuse, family violence or risk form The new harmonised form, the Notice of child abuse, family violence or risk, gives people involved in parenting matters a simplified way to provide informationat the very beginning of the processoutlining issues of family violence and other forms of risk. This may include (but is not limited to); child abuse, family violence, substance abuse and mental health, abduction and threats of harm, safety and wellbeing, an...d safety at court. The redesign of the Notice will also allow data to be captured from six key questions, to give the Courts a more concrete understanding of the risks present in parenting proceedings. For more information, see Federal Circuit Court Notice of child abuse, family violence or risk or Family Court Notice of child abuse, family violence or risk which set out the circumstances and requirements for filing the new form. See more

04.01.2022 DSS Families and Children Activity Consultation Update The Department of Social Services’ (DSS) consultation with the family and relationship services sector on ways to improve programs under the Families and Children Activity is well underway. DSS released a Discussion Paper in late November 2020 that provides ideas for reform, which are based, in part, on feedback from consultations in 2018. The Discussion Paper covers five themes: Outcomes, Certainty and Accountability, ...Targeting and Accessibility, Collaboration and Coordination, and Capability and Innovation. On 8 December, DSS and FRSA co-hosted an online information forum to give an overview of the Discussion Paper and provide an opportunity for questions. With close to 300 attendees, not all questions were able to be answered during the forum. DSS has therefore provided written responses to those questions and made them available on the DSS Engage website. We encourage people to take a look. What’s happening next? Online information forum 21 January In partnership with DSS, FRSA will host a second online information forum next week, which will provide an overview of the discussion paper and DSS’ consultation process and enable the opportunity to ask questions. It will be held on Thursday 21 January 2021 from 11:30 AM 1:00 PM AEDT. Click here to register for this forum. Make a submission DSS is inviting feedback on ideas for improved and new ways of working to ensure good outcomes for families and children into the future. We encourage members and stakeholders to provide feedback on the discussion paper. FRSA will also make a submission. The closing date for submissions is 12 February 2021. More information about how to make a submission is on the DSS Engage website. Advisory Groups EOIs closed Expressions of Interest to participate on a consultation advisory group closed on 8 January. Five Advisory Groups have been established on a program-by-program basis: Communities for Children Facilitating Partner (CfC FP) Family and Relationship Services (FaRS), including Specialised Family Violence Services Family Mental Health Support Services (FMHSS) Children and Parenting Support services (CaPS) & Budget Based Funded services (BBF) Cross-cutting programs group (for participants with interests in multiple programs or delivery locations, as well as specialist areas). The Advisory Groups will meet in February. For more information on the Consultation, including FAQs, visit the DSS Engage website or email [email protected]