Purpose of Mentoring Programme

The Children’s Court of New South Wales has facilitated a mentoring programme to assist children’s separate representatives and children’s legal representatives in proceedings in the Children’s Court pursuant to the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998.

The representation of children and young people is an extremely important role in care proceedings. It can also be an extremely challenging one. The representation of children in care proceedings for children is, for many practitioners, especially in rural and regional New South Wales, only a small part of their practice and if a complex or unusual set of circumstances arises, advice is not easily available.

Practising in the Children’s Court of New South Wales are a number of lawyers whose main area of practice is, and has for many years been, care proceedings, acting for children and young people. Many of these lawyers have agreed to be mentors in this Programme.

Access to the Mentoring Programme

To seek advice or assistance on an aspect of proper practice in a matter solicitors should e-mail their name, the name of their firm and contact details to childrepmentoring@agd.nsw.gov.au (This e-mail address belongs to the Attorney-General’s Department). An indication in the e-mail of the level of urgency, if any, may also be useful.

The Mentoring Programme Co-ordinator will then pass these details on to one of the mentoring lawyers who will then contact you.

There is no fee payable for this service and it is confidential.

Queries and Comments

All queries and comments should be sent to the e-mail address above.

Thanks

The Children’s Court extends its thanks to all of those lawyers who have agreed to take part as mentors in the Mentoring Programme and special thanks to Robert McLachlan, solicitor, who has greatly assisted in the setting up of this Programme.


Pictured: Kim Rowley Senior Solicitor (foreground left), Background (from left to right): Senior Solicitors Sam Nasti, Robert McLachlan, Kathryn Renshall (seated), Ross Clarke, and Barrister Peter Braine. Tracy Sheedy, Children's Registrar and Coordinator of the Children's Representatives' Mentoring Programme (foreground right).