Publication - Advice and guidance

Child welfare report: guide

Published: 22 Mar 2016

Directorate:: Safer Communities Directorate
Part of:: Children and families, Law and order

A child welfare report is a document prepared by a child welfare reporter to help a court reach a decision about the upbringing of a child.

Published:: 22 Mar 2016

If parents are involved in a legal dispute about a child's upbringing, a court can make decisions about who a child should live with or spend time with.

To help it make a decision, the court can ask for a child welfare report. This is a document prepared by a child welfare reporter appointed by the court. The reporter is usually, but not always, a practising solicitor.

The attached guide for parents explains what the child welfare report is, the role of the child welfare reporter and what is involved in the process.