Courts ‘put kids at risk’

TWO Queensland children have tried to commit suicide over Family Court custody orders, a government inquiry has been told.

The suicidal teenagers were admitted to hospital mental health units in southeast Queensland last Christmas after being ordered to live with a different parent, the Women’s Legal Service Queensland told the Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry in a submission.

Women’s Legal Service president Angela Lynch told News Corp Australia court custody orders could be “devastat- ing’’ for children. “There is a notion that children can just be swapped around quite easily between parents and it doesn’t have any impact,’’ she said. “But some children want to run away, they’re suicidal.

“We believe there can be a failure by the courts to ad- equately give sufficient weight to the issue of attachment (of children to a parent), and to children’s voices.’’

The Women’s Legal Service wants the Federal Government to change the legal presumption of joint custody.

The service has called for an end to shared custody, in response to the ALRC’s interim report in October, which said Family Court judges should take children’s views into account in custody disputes.

The ALRC recommended that judges grant custody based on the “safety and best interests’’ of children.

THERE IS A NOTION THAT CHILDREN CAN JUST BE SWAPPED AROUND QUITE EASILY BETWEEN PARENTS AND IT DOESN’T HAVE ANY IMPACT WOMEN’S LEGAL SERVICE PRESIDENT ANGELA LYNCH