Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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928. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the timeline for implementation of the recommendations of the Review of the Role of Expert Reports in the Family Law Process, published in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48866/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to ensuring proper regulation and funding for Voice of the Child and Welfare Reports, giving children a voice in legal proceedings that affect them.

On 13 June 2024, a wide-ranging review into the role of expert reports in the family law process was published, as committed to in the Family Justice Strategy 2022-2025.

The Review sets out 20 ambitious recommendations for reform, the implementation of which will, amongst other things, promote consistency and common standards in hearing the voice of the child and safeguarding their best interests. They include:

produce guidelines on the commissioning, content and use of expert reports;

establish a panel of assessors with a structure to oversee its management;

establish the role of Children’s Court Advocate, initially on a pilot basis, to assist children in having their voice heard in family law proceedings.

Since the report’s publication, there has been significant progress in implementing its recommendations.

In October 2024, the Department established a Voice of the Child Working Group with membership comprising both statutory and voluntary stakeholders in the family justice system. The group was set up in line with the commitment in Goal One of the Family Justice Strategy, that of “supporting children”. The group is taking forward some of the recommendations in the Review of Expert Reports, including the development of a Children’s Court Advocate Pilot Project and the development of a voice of the child report template and guidelines.

The envisaged role of a Children’s Court Advocate is to support children in their journey through private family law proceedings, providing information and ensuring their voice is heard. €3 million was allocated for reform of the process in Budget 2025 and part of that will go towards funding the pilot. The Budget allocation will also permit Department officials to commence work on developing a scheme to fund expert reports from 2025. The Children’s Court Advocate pilot will commence in late 2025 or early 2026 and will initially be rolled out in two locations. A tender for the pilot is currently live with a closing date of 15 September 2025.

Prior to the establishment of the pilot project, I intend to amend the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 (Child’s Views Expert) Regulations 2018 to include speech and language therapists and occupational therapists as persons eligible to undertake voice of the child reports. The required number of years of experience of working directly with children will be reduced to not less than 3 years within the 5 years immediately preceding appointment. These changes will increase the number of professionals available to provide these reports to the court.

In July 2024, the Chief Justice established a Judicial Committee to develop guidelines on the commissioning, content and use of welfare reports chaired by the Honourable Ms Justice Nuala Jackson of the High Court. Once fully implemented, these recommendations will improve the quality of expert reports in family law proceedings, standardising practises relating to how they are developed in situations where they are required. They will support the judiciary in their decision making and ensure that children are at the centre of our efforts to improve outcomes for them and their families. Work on establishing a panel of assessors will being once the guidelines are published.

Work on other recommendations including the preparation of a parenting plan template and research on parenting when separated courses is ongoing.