Superior Court of Québec: Family Law - Video presentation of “The Voice of the Child” (ONLINE)
This seminar was a follow-up to the program on family law given in fall 2022 at the Seminar for New Federally Appointed Judges. Participants first viewed three videos showing a judge talking to a child in the context of a motion to vary parenting time. The trainers then gave practical advice relating to children testifying. The session concluded with a guided discussion on lessons learned from the case scenario for any case involving a conversation with a child.
Number of Participants: 20
Overview
This lunchtime seminar for judges of the Superior Court of Québec dealt with appropriate ways for judges to address and interact with children in court cases.
Objectives
The seminar had four objectives: (1) impress upon participants the importance of the judge’s behaviour during a conversation with a child; (2) explain the best practices and approaches to adopt when speaking with a child; (3) help participants learn from their peers by giving them an opportunity to share their experience speaking with children and any apprehensions they may have in that regard; and finally (4) help participants develop the skills and aptitudes required to conduct a conversation with a child effectively and respectfully.
Summary
This seminar was a follow-up to the program on family law given in fall 2022 at the Seminar for New Federally Appointed Judges. Participants first viewed three videos showing a judge talking to a child in the context of a motion to vary parenting time. The trainers then gave practical advice relating to children testifying. The session concluded with a guided discussion on lessons learned from the case scenario for any case involving a conversation with a child.