SUBMISSION

Improving the competency and accountability of family report writers

This submission applies both ANROWS and external research to the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department’s consultation paper on improving the competency and accountability of family report writers.     

This submission draws on ANROWS research to highlight the minimum content that should be included in a family report as well as the core competencies and skills a family report writer should have.

The submission stresses the importance of centring children’s needs in a family report to ensure the best outcome for them, by consulting with the children and assessing their wellbeing. The submission emphasises that, in order to better service children, there is a need for family report writers to have a sound understanding of domestic and family violence (DFV) and the impacts of trauma on parents and children. A lack of these core competencies has a direct impact on the safety of women and children and is a disadvantage for diverse groups of women and children.

This submission made recommendations in the following areas:

• the minimum content that should be included in a family report
• the need for consistent requirements across all cohorts of family report writers in the production of family reports
• necessary skills for family report writers
• additional competencies that would benefit family report writers.

 

 

Suggested citation

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2021). Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department: Improving the competency and accountability of family report writers [Submission]. ANROWS.