Ms Julie Ahern:

I wish to echo what Dr. O'Mahony and Dr. Walsh stated. Something like guidelines for judges on how to carry out this function could be introduced. All the other professionals involved, including lawyers, should be trained how to communicate and work with children. It is something we are already doing within the court system. It is worth pointing out that the Children Court talks and listens to children all day, every day. Children go in and give evidence within that specially designed system. We could learn a lot from how the professionals and the judges in that system engage with children. Talking to a child is not an alien concept we have never encountered before within the legal system. We do not need to work on something brand new. We need to look at what is already in place here and in other jurisdictions, as Dr. O'Mahony set out earlier. There is a lot out there and it could be done quite easily with a legislative amendment and some other supporting pieces of work such as training and guidance.