Representing Children: Tips, Techniques and Best Practice Guidance
Practitioners entrusted to represent children must possess a certain set of skills to ensure child representation and participation is effective and meaningful. Take a deep dive into understanding child participation, developmental considerations, and interviewing techniques. Receive guidance on your role as a lawyer for the child in Family court proceedings and recognising the early signs of formative trauma. WEB229NZA05
Description
Attend and earn 3 CPD hours
Chair: Lili-Marina Stanley, Partner, Reids Family Law; Lawyer for Child
9.00am to 9.05am Opening Comments by the Chair
9.05am to 10.05am Representing Children and Understanding Child Participation
- What is meant by children’s participation
- Understanding the purpose for children’s participation in care and contact disputes
- What children say they do and don’t want from their participation
- Practical tips on interviewing children to ensure focus is on the ‘needs’ not ‘wants’ of the child
- Translating the child’s needs into advocacy
Presented by Dr Deb Inder, Barrister, Mediator and Lawyer for Child
10.05am to 11.05am Your Role as a Lawyer for Child in Family Court Proceedings - Advocating for Maori / Pacific Children
- What is the role of lawyer for child in Family Court proceedings?
- What is not the role of lawyer for child?
- How to manage the balance of what may be outside your brief?
- Your best endeavours to keep children safe
- Examine and receive practical tips for the role of lawyer for child in the Family Court
Presented by Lisa Samusamuvodre, Barrister, Matariki Chambers and Ataga’i Esera, Director, Family Law Specialists Limited
11.05am to 11.15am Break
11.15am to 12.15pm Seeking to Understand: Recognising Formative Trauma and Working with Institutionalised Clients
- The key difference between the child's perspective as retold by clients compared to the adult's perspective
- Intergenerational trauma: understanding history and causal connection
- Pre-emptive v reactive: recognising the early signs
- Ensuring safety: considering the secrecy and deception employed by offenders against children
- Interviewing clients: techniques and the importance of developing trust and rapport
- Insight into real stories and cases
Presented by David Allan, Barrister, Thackeray Chambers
Learning Objectives:
- Understand child participation and consider best practice tips on interviewing children in care and contact cases
- Examine your role as a lawyer for the child in Family court proceedings
- Receive guidance on recognising formative trauma and working with institutionalised clients
Presenters
Lili-Marina Stanley
Lili-Marina is a Partner at Reids Family Law in Lower Hutt, Wellington. As a senior family Court Lawyer, Lili-Marina undertakes all areas of practice of family law, including Court appointments as Lawyer for child and/or Counsel to Assist. The client based served by Lili-Marina covers the Hutt Valley, Masterton, Porirua and Wellington region. Lili-Marina is a New Zealand born Samoan, she was raised in Wellington. She is a staunch support of the All Blacks.
Dr Deb Inder
Admitted to the Bar in 1998, Dr Deb Inder is a Barrister and Accredited Mediator. Deb conducts both FDR and private mediations as well as regularly appearing in the Family Court as Court Appointed Lawyer for the Child and on behalf of Private and Legal Aid clients. Deb has a Post Graduate Diploma in Child Centred Practice (with Distinction) and a PhD in Law, her Thesis topic being: Children?s Participation Rights within the Context of the New Zealand Family Justice System.
Lisa Samusamuvodre
Lisa practices in Manukau, Auckland as a Barrister sole. She is Māori (Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pāoa) and Fijian. Lisa was born in Fiji, but spent her formative years in Porirua and Dunedin. After graduating from Otago University, Lisa was admitted to the Bar in NZ and Fiji in 1999. With approximately 20 years experience as a lawyer, Lisa now specialises in family law accepting both legal aid and private instructions and Court Appointed roles. Lisa’s client base is mainly from south Auckland and north Waikato areas. Outside of work, Lisa holds a number of Community governance roles including Chairperson of a Fijian Early Childhood Centre. To relax, Lisa loves gardening, hanging out with whānau and enjoying the warm Fiji or Bay of Islands weather.
Ataga’i Esera
Ata is a director in the law firm Family Law Specialists, in Porirua. A firm as explained by its name, specialising in family law, she has been in private practice since 2011. Ata has a wider range of experience representing parents, whānau and children in various proceedings before the Family Court. Ata also holds a Bachelor in Accounting and Commercial Law and previously practiced as a financial accountant. Prior to practising accounting and the law, Ata was an English teacher in Oita, Japan. Ata contributes her knowledge and experience from both law and commerce, together with navigating a completely different culture, to her practice.
David Allan
David has a particular interest in improving the interview method of lawyers across the whole criminal justice system to identify, as far as is possible, what particular issues have contributed to the person's offending and how the risk of re-offending can be best managed. David presented a paper "Interviewing to find the Person" to the New Zealand Parole Board Conference in September 2013. David co-presented with Dr Brigit Mirfin-Veitch, a NZLS CLE Ltd webinar "Criminal Law - working with intellectually disabled clients" in March 2015.