Since the introduction of the Lighthouse Project by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia in 2020, the Project has assisted the Court to ensure vulnerable parties and children to family law proceedings are protected when navigating the family law system.
The Lighthouse Project is aimed at assessing the risk of parties to family violence so as to improve outcomes for those parties involved in parenting matters. There is a three part process to the Lighthouse Project:
- Screening
- Triage and Case Pathways
- Case Management
When a matter is commenced in the FCFCOA, parties are given the opportunity to answer a questionnaire via a secure online platform known as Family DOORS Triage. The questionnaire is specifically designed to consider a range of safety risks such as family violence, mental health issues, drug and/or alcohol abuse.
The triage system uses a traffic light system to categorise cases:
- Red cases will be categorized as high risk and referred immediately to a triage counsellor for further clinical review. High risk matters may also be referred to the Evatt List.
- Amber cases are those that are low to moderate risk and will be offered safety planning and service referrals. The matter will be directed to a suitable case management pathway based on a case by case basis.
- Green cases will be referred to court ordered family dispute resolution to assist parties to resolve issues as soon as possible.
More information about the Lighthouse Project can be found here https://www.fcfcoa.gov.au/fl/fv/lighthouse
