Experts in the Family Justice System
The recently established ‘Committee on Experts in the Family Justice System’ have published a newsletter with recommendations and training for expert witnesses providing evidence in the family court.
Expert witnesses may be called upon to provide evidence in the family court. As part of the drive to support and sustain change in the way which expert witnesses are used, the committee has sought to provide standard procedures and professional guidelines.
In the South East of the UK, training sessions are being undertaken for expert witnesses in report writing and sessions on cross-examination and giving evidence being considered.
There is also a move to establish regional groups to assist in mentoring experts to share experiences and discuss issues with other experts and legal professionals.
The Expert Witness Institute has recently launched a tool to develop expert’s ‘Core Competencies’. These examine key areas for expert witnesses to reflect on to provide safe, ethical, high quality and professional evidence.
‘The core competencies framework for Expert Witnesses sets out the attributes, knowledge, and skills that experts must develop if they wish to act as an Expert Witness’. - The Expert Witness Institute.
You can find out more about the work of expert witnesses and monitoring quality at the following link: The Expert Witness Institute: Core Competencies for Expert Witnesses