Legal and Court Psychological Services
We provide a comprehensive suite of Legal Psychological Services, delivering expert opinion through detailed reports for family courts, as well as civil and criminal cases.
Family Law Cases
Section 32 Report
This report primarily focuses on conveying the child's views to the court. It's often referred to as the "Voice of the Child" report.
The report is prepared by an appointed expert, who may interview the child and other family members to understand the child’s wishes and feelings about their living arrangements and other issues affecting their welfare.
The psychologist's role is to provide the court with insights into the child's language proficiency, communication style, and the developmental appropriateness of the child's statements. While our primary responsibility is to the court, the accuracy and quality of the information we provide depend on the psychologist's skill in building rapport with the child. This involves facilitating the process through open-ended questions that effectively probe the child's thought processes.
Section 47 Report
This report provides a comprehensive assessment of any issue affecting the welfare of the child. It’s more extensive than a Section 32 report and often involves a detailed investigation into the child’s living situation, relationships with parents, and other relevant factors.
We usually conduct multiple interviews and observations to gain a thorough understanding of the child’s needs and family dynamics. The report includes detailed recommendations on what arrangements would be in the child's best interests.
Parenting Capacity Assessment
We provide a comprehensive service to public bodies who are tasked by the court with obtaining parental capacity assessments. Initial enquiries are welcomed from social workers or solicitors working with the family. Because there are no agreed criteria in Ireland for Parenting Capacity Assessments, it is vital that there is agreement on what questions the court required answered in the assessment.
A referral letter is required from the Tusla solicitor that has been agreed by the legal representatives of all the parties involved.
Independence – Tusla Assessment
Where an assessment is required by an agency such as Tusla to establish parenting capacity or similar question, it is essential that the psychologist acts and maintains independence. In matters that are subject to legal proceedings, the psychologist’s duty is to the court.
In order to ensure that parties involved can have confidence in the psychologist’s opinion, referrals are taken when agreed terms of reference are in place. They must be agreed by all parties as an assessment is based on questions asked of it in the Terms of Reference.
The detailed referral is expected to provide a statement of the child’s status and reason for reception into the care of Tusla. It is essential that the in-camera rule is lifted by the time an assessment starts because extant documents such as detailed reports of social work, Guardians Ad Litem and other professionals are available to the psychologist. However, these are not read until parents have been met and given an account of their own version of events. This practice is just one way of demonstrating how we take steps to protect our practice from bias.
Consultations with professionals are agreed and usually one person is the point of contact between the psychologist and the legal teams and others.
Referral
Typically, our referrals come from solicitors representing parents, though we welcome initial discussions with any parent who has questions about the process. Our duty is to the court, and to preserve the integrity of the legal process, we must maintain independence in all court-related matters. Consequently, we require instructions from the solicitor detailing the referral questions, and when multiple solicitors are involved, an agreed letter of instruction is usually coordinated among the legal representatives. This approach helps mitigate potential conflicts that may emerge during the process.