Care and Protection: Australia and the International Context

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the key themes in relation to the function of the child protection jurisdiction of Children’s Courts both in Australia and internationally. Particular attention is given to the operation of the child welfare court in New Zealand which looks to resolving family disputes in non-adversarial ways, avoiding trials and supporting families to, as much as possible, find their own solutions. For Maori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, this is significant to maintain children’s links with their cultural heritage. Legislation reinforces that wherever possible children should remain within the family system. It introduced family group conferencing as the key decisio..