Children's Court Clinic

The Children's Court Clinic is a government body in New South Wales, a state of Australia, which prepares independent reports on children in Children's Court of New South Wales proceedings.

Constitution

The clinic is established under the Children's Court Act 1987 (NSW) and its function is further specified according to sections 52-59 of the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998. As of 1 July 2011 the Minister for Health is required to establish the clinic in accordance with the Children's Court Rule 2000 (NSW).

An assessment report by the clinic is taken to be an independent report to the court rather than evidence tendered by a party (section 59, the Care and Protection Act). The Children’s Court Clinic Authorised Clinician who prepares a report is nevertheless available to the court for cross-examination.

Under the court's rules, the clinic is composed of the Director of the Children’s Court Clinic and any other persons appointed by the Attorney General. Those other persons are persons considered by the Attorney General to be suitable to prepare and submit assessment reports for the court. This is in the process of changing as the clinic is gradually transferred to the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.

The clinic currently employs a team of senior psychologists based in Parramatta and Broadmeadow NSW to do its work. It also has a list of Authorised Clinicians who perform work on a contractual basis. They are experienced clinicians in psychiatry, psychology or social work.

Jurisdiction

The clinic is required to make clinical assessments of children and families in care matters and report to the children's court on those assessments. The report is given to the court ordering the assessment, which then determines whether to release it to the parties in the case.

Location

The clinic is located at 2 George St Parramatta and 19-23 Lambton Rd Broadmeadow

Link to the Parramatta clinic's Google map:<http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=205882828509153732156.000436aadfbb3750b11b9&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15>

Link to the Broadmeadow clinic's Google map: <http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?msa=0&hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=18&msid=205882828509153732156.00045165fbad37ccf3178>

References

• Children's Court Act 1987 http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/cca1987176/
• Children's Court Rule 2000 http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/ccr692000203/
• Homepage of the clinic http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/ccc