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Lighthouse Project shines light on risk screening at major courts
The Family and Federal Circuit Courts are in strong support of a “groundbreaking and innovative” project designed to facilitate family violence and risk screenings.
Naomi Neilson
The Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia have welcomed the Family Law Amendment (Risk Screening Protections) Bill 2020 as a critical project to facilitate family violence and risk screening initiative, the Lighthouse Project.
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The Lighthouse Project, which will operate as a pilot program in Parramatta, Adelaide and Brisbane, will allow the courts to screen for risk and focus on public health, as well as ensuring “improved outcomes for families involved in the family law system”.
The project will involve the early risk screening through a secure online platform, early identification and management of safety concerns and an assessment and triage of a case by a specialised team who will provide resources and case management.
The cases identified as being high risk will be referred to a dedicated court list, known as the Evatt List, which “focuses on early information gathering and intervention”. The team has specialised training and is experienced working with high-risk families.
“The courts are preparing to officially commence this new screening process later this year, but a final date will be largely dependent on legislative amendments to ensure that the information generated and obtained during the family safety risk screening process is both confidential and inadmissible,” the courts said in a statement.
