With Royal Assent granted on November 6 of last year, the Family Law Amendment Act 2023 is arguably the most important issue shaping how family law CPD programmes play out in 2024.
By May 6 of this year, the majority of the Act’s modifications to family law will take effect, so solicitors working in this space need to be prepared.
Here at Legalwise Seminars, we will host several seminars and workshops throughout the year that will seek to unpack these changes and help family law practitioners become better acquainted with them and their consequences.
The amendments’ principal aim was to put children’s safety and security front and centre in matters of family law. As such, a major change was to roll back the previous presumption of equal shared parental responsibility in favour of provisions focusing solely on what is best for the child.
This includes independent children’s lawyers meeting personally with children and the court being granted greater powers to protect those children from the damaging impact of lengthy and hostile litigation.
Several other provisions have been included to ensure greater protection of children and that their voices are more readily heard in family law matters.
In addition to the amendments above, courts will be able to make better decisions to protect children and abuse victims by having a better understanding of family dynamics and other pertinent information, thanks to the Family Law Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill 2023.
Under this important amendment, the courts will have more power to demand information from the police, as well as from child protection and firearms agencies, that will serve to ensure the protection of children and abuse victims.
This amendment aims to provide the state with more power to intervene in cases of neglect and abuse, while also making the process swifter and more secure for all those involved.
Stay on top of the changes in the family law world by attending some of Legalwise Seminars’ insightful family law CPD courses in 2024. Not only will you be kept up to speed with the latest developments in the space, but you will be rewarded with the necessary CPD points as well. Contact us today to sign up.