Children’s Court Resource Handbook Update 16 published

The Resource Handbook has been restructured to better present the commentary, articles, cases, legislation and other resources. Older articles have been retained for reference in the Archived material section at [17-1000]ff.

Foreword

A new Foreword has been written by her Honour Judge Ellen Skinner.

Jurisdiction

This new Chapter includes a brief history of the Children’s Court of NSW as well as an introduction to new Children’s Court magistrates at [1-1000].

Care and protection matters

Principles and jurisdiction includes a revised and updated Overview section at [2-1000].

Care tree revised and updated at [2-1040].

Important cases has been updated. The following cases have been added:

  • Isles & Nelissen [2022] FedCFamC1A 97 — standard of proof for unacceptable risk of harm does not require civil standard of proof on the balance of probabilities, the court looks more to possibilities at [3-1400] Proof
  • Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and Janet and Xing-fu [2022] NSWChC 7 — standard of proof for unacceptable risk of harm, Isles & Nelissen [2022] FedCFamC1A 97 followed at [3-1400] Proof
  • Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and Bloom [2021] NSWChC 2 — test for realistic possibility of restoration at [3-1420] Realistic possibility of restoration
  • Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and Evie and Grace [2023] NSWChC 1 — restoration granted as mitigation of harm despite parents not providing an adequate explanation for children’s injuries at [3-1480] Unexplained injury.

Legislation updated to include Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Regulation 2022 at [4-1000].

Practice notes, guidelines and protocols includes:

Articles and other resources includes abstract and a link to P Granqvist et al, “Attachment goes to court” (2022) 24(1) Attachment and Human Development 1 at [7-1000].

Criminal matters

Socioeconomic circumstances of young offenders has been updated at [8-2000].

Important cases has been updated. The following new cases have been added:

  • R v JH [2023] NSWSC 93 — a plea of guilty or a finding of guilt is not a necessary precondition to supervision on bail by Youth Justice at [9-1100] Bail
  • R v JB [2023] NSWSC 94 — Youth Justice can supervise a child on bail in the community where the child has pleaded not guilty to the offence at [9-1100] Bail
  • BDO v The Queen [2023] HCA 16 — presumption of incapacity under s 29(2) Criminal Code (Qld) not equivalent to moral wrongness required by common law (RP v The Queen (2016) 259 CLR 641) but is informed by it at [9-1140] Doli incapax
  • TA v R [2023] NSWCCA 27 — no essential requirement to expressly use the phrase “moral culpability” if the relevant factors in Bugmy are substantively addressed at [9-1340] Sentencing
  • R v Taumalolo [2022] NSWSC 1696 — sentencing for manslaughter and affray at [9-1340] Sentencing
  • DL v The Queen (2018) 265 CLR 215 — procedural unfairness due to departure from primary judge’s findings without giving notice to parties at [9-1340] Sentencing.

Protocols and guidelines includes the Bail Protocol and Children’s Court of NSW Bail guidelines at [11-4000].

Articles and other resources includes new articles at [12-1000]:

Youth Koori Court includes information about the expansion of sittings to Dubbo at [15-1000], [15-1060] and the amendment to Practice Note 11: Youth Koori Court.