Ms Eibhlín Byrne:

It will not happen until there is active engagement, as there must be a complete overhaul. We must examine mediation and how to keep issues out of court, as the court is no place for children and families to try to sort out family matters. Judges do their best but they cannot try to solve a life of problems in a couple of hours in a courtroom. The earlier we can have intervention and mediation, the better.
With regard to guardians ad litem, we need a child advocate system, although this cannot be entirely separate from the child protection and welfare system, as this can lead to an adversarial system with this process. We need to consider how to implement an advocate system within a mediation process and a properly run court system. The system must be overhauled.