In situations deemed appropriate by the Judge of the Family Court, a social worker is appointed to prepare a court report. Following an assessment, the social worker submits recommendations relating to care and custody of minors or on other issues as the Family Court may deem appropriate. In cases of separation, Court Services may be appointed by the Family Court to investigate allegations of abuse of minors. As part of the investigation, Court Experts interview the parents and children, as well as other professionals who are or were in contact with the family. The Court Expert draws up recommendations, taking into consideration the feedback from all the involved parties.
The Court Expert acts independently from other professionals, and the final recommendation reflects his/her professional judgement entirely as an expert of the Court. These proposals are presented to the Judge/Magistrate, who ultimately issues the final decision.
Through the Court Monitoring Service, a social work professional appointed by the Court continues to follow the family through home visits, office visits, school visits, access visits, and other sessions which may be deemed necessary to continue providing a follow-up on the case.
