Becoming an Expert Witness for the Family Court : A Comprehensive Guide for Mental Health and Medical Practitioners

Written from the perspective of a clinician, this book builds on readers’ existing professional skills to guide them through the maze of specialist knowledge needed to act as an expert witness in the family courts. Offering a single comprehensive reference for practitioners spanning across disciplines, this book focuses on the specific orientation, knowledge base and nuances involved in ensuring fairness, justice and the protection of family life when working within the courts.

Firmly grounded in practical case examples, this book explores the rationale, procedures, processes and priorities of the court and highlights legal imperatives and their impact upon families. Readers will benefit from learning how to translate their existing skills to providing expert witness testimony. Topics explored include, but are not limited to:

- Children’s welfare and the law, including child abuse and exploitation

- The family procedure rules that experts must follow

- Guidance on providing an assessment and evidence in court

- Cultural and language barriers to justice

- Vulnerable families and contentious issues, such as domestic violence and ruptured parent-child relationships

- Data security, costs, invoicing and developments in technology.

Becoming an Expert Witness for the Family Court is an essential read for any mental health or medical practitioner interested in, or new to, working within the family courts. It will be of particular interest to psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, therapists, paediatricians and practitionaers in other related medical specialisms.

Joyce Scaife is a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience as an expert witness carrying out assessments for the family court. She is the former Director of Clinical Practice, Clinical Psychology Unit at the University of Sheffield.