About court ordered child protection conferencing
When the Office of the Director of Child Protection Litigation (ODCPL) applies to the court for a child protection order, the parents or child(ren) can disagree and contest the order.
If a child protection order is contested, a child protection conference must be held before the order can be made. Or until reasonable attempts have been made to hold one.
Purpose of the conference
A child protection conference is a guided meeting about a child protection matter. The people involved get together to talk about their concerns and reach an agreement on the order without needing to go to a court hearing.
The court sets the date for the conference. Everyone will be given a notice that says where and when the conference will be held.
Before the conference
Before the day of the conference, you’ll receive a call from the Child Protection Conferencing Unit (CPCU). This is to confirm the date and time of the conference and to help you prepare.
The caller usually tells you:
- information about the conference process
- who else will be present and what issues they might raise
- what you may want to discuss and how to communicate this effectively
- how you feel about the application and any related issues
- what might happen if an agreement is or isn’t reached.
You may also ask questions about the process.
What happens at the conference
The conference is run by a trained facilitator called a convenor. The convenor is impartial and does not take sides. Their job is to help everyone talk to each other in a respectful way and make a decision that is in the best interests of the child or children.
A conference usually takes about 2 hours. It is sometimes split into different sessions for the parents if appropriate.
Everyone will have a chance to talk about:
- what is currently working well for the child
- the current worries or concerns for the child
- how the parents are working towards their case plan goals
- what is in the best future interest of the child
- the outcome and what to report to the court (using a form 20).
Who can attend the conference
Conference participants can be, where appropriate:
- the convenor, a nationally accredited mediator
- the parent(s) named on the application
- a representative of ODCPL
- legal representatives for the parents or other participants
- a Separate Representative appointed by the court
- interested parties as directed by the court
- a representative of the Office of the Public Guardian
- a person from an independent Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander entity (if the child is Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander)
- the children, where appropriate
- support person(s) for the parent (non-speaking role).
No one else can attend the conference without the convenor’s approval.
After the conference
The convenor must provide a report (called a form 20) to the court and all participants after the conference.
If an agreement has been reached, only this will be included in the report. If the court is satisfied that the agreement is the most appropriate way forward, they may make final orders at the next mention.
If no agreement was reached, the court will set a date for a trial.
Trauma informed process
The CPCU understands that everyone has had different life experience and provides a trauma informed process. This means that the convenor and CPCU staff will treat everyone with an understanding that they may have been through trauma.
Meeting your cultural needs
The CPCU understands that everyone has different cultural needs. We will do our best to adjust the conference to meet yours and your children’s cultural needs. We will also ask the other people attending the conference to understand your cultural needs.
More information
Call the CPCU on 07 3738 7018 or email cpcu.mailbox@justice.qld.gov.au if you have a question or enquiry.