Deirdre provides a holistic and trauma informed approach in assessing the “Voice of the Child”. Deirdre meets children in their own home, and in school or a neutral venue that is not clinical in setting. This approach allows children to feel safe, supported and comfortable. The same approach applies to meeting parents, however an office space is also available.
Section 32 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 Reports, are more common in the District Court, where the child’s opinion is usually sought by the court and a report is completed by an appointed expert. This is the most common type of report and is commonly known as a “Voice of the Child Report". This report will provide the child’s opinion and views directly to the court. It normally involves several meetings between the child and the assessor and meetings with both parents . Sometimes a "Child Welfare Report" can also be sought, which can address a particular worry about a parent's behaviour, their ability to meet the basic needs of the child and the impact this has on the child.
The Court might seek a similar report under Section 27(1) of the Domestic Violence Act 2018. This report looks at the impact of parental domestic violence on a child and if it is in the child's interest to be covered by an order, such as a Protection Order/Barring Order (excluding emergency/interim barring/protection orders) which one of their parents have applied to the court for.
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