Mindful

PSYCHIATRIC ASSESSMENTS FOR THE FAMILY COURT

Two Day Workshop: Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November 2020 

Who is the training for?

This workshop is designed for Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (CAP); General Adult Psychiatrists, including Forensic Psychiatrists, with an interest in in preparing medico-legal reports for the Family Court (FCA); and Advanced trainees in CAP and Forensic Psychiatry.

Who will provide the training?

DR ROBERT (BOB) ADLER

Bob Adler is a consultant psychiatrist with a particular interest in forensic aspects of child and adolescent psychiatry, particularly in the areas of family law and child protection.

Bob graduated from the University of Sydney before moving to Melbourne in 1985 as Professor/Director of Child and Family Psychiatry at the Royal Children's Hospital, a position he held until 1998. He was a member of the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria from 1998 and 2010 and worked at the Parkville Youth Justice Precinct as a consultant psychiatrist between 1999 and 2013.

PROFESSOR THE HONORABLE NAHUM MUSHIN, AM

Nahum Mushin graduated from Monash University. He practiced as a solicitor and as a barrister from 1972 to 1990 before being appointed a Judge of the Family Court of Australia in 1990.

Following his retirement as a Judge in 2011, Professor Mushin was appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Monash University where he teaches lawyers' ethics.

What does the training include?

This year, thanks to Covid-19, the workshop will only be available online via Zoom.  The format will be different to 2019 with some details yet to be finalised.  We will use a more case based approach around a de‑identified family.  There will be some didactic presentations and plenty of opportunities for discussion during the presentations and in small break out groups. 

One benefit of the online approach is that the workshop will be open to participants from around Australia and New Zealand, however NZ psychiatrists need to be aware that the workshop will be based on Australian Family Law.  Participants will be provided with materials for the workshop electronically before the workshop. 

DAY 1 - FRIDAY 6 Nov 2020: 09:00 - 16:30

The day will include:

• An introduction to the Family Law Act, 1975
• Consideration of the difficulties facing separating families with children
• A framework for conducting psychiatric assessment of parents

DAY 2 - SATURDAY 7 Nov 2020: 09:00 – 16:30

Frequent topics in preparing Family Reports, including:

• Parental alienation
• Allegations of child sexual abuse
• Relocation disputes and the Hague convention and
• Children with special needs eg., Autism Spectrum Disorder

AFTERNOON:

• Preparation of court reports
• Giving evidence
• Cross-examination of Dr Adler by His Honour

Training delivered via zoom:

Zoom link to be circulated to participants closer to date.

Please note that the times are Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time (AEDT),

Cost and registration

Registration and payment is required by no later than Friday 2 October 2020. Because of the online format there are more places than previously however, numbers will be limited to 60 to ensure there is opportunity for all participants to participate fully.  Early registration is strongly recommended to ensure a place and to allow timely access to pre-workshop materials (distributed electronically).

$495 plus GST for RANZCP Trainees

For general enquiries, please contact Rebecca Ni on rni@unimelb.edu.au.