Meet Dannielle Ford, Independent Children’s Lawyer
What do you, as an Independent Children’s Lawyer, do?
As soon as I am appointed, I get access to and read all the Court material. If there is a Child Impact Report or Family Report, I start with that to see what the recommendations are and what the children’s views are. I then arrange to meet with the children.
It is ideal to meet them in person and I have pencils, textas, fidgets and Lego. If they are not able to attend in person, I meet them by Zoom. I ask the children if they want me to know anything, but that it isn’t confidential. Sometimes children tell me they want a new puppy and other times they tell me their for spending time with their parents.
Why is this role important?
Without the ICL, the children’s voice is limited to the brief interaction they have with Court Child Experts. I worry that if ICLs cannot represent children, their voices will not be heard in proceedings.
Why have you chosen to be an ICL?
I chose to be an ICL because I knew it would be some of the most challenging, but hugely rewarding work as a family lawyer.
Can you give an example from your own personal experience of the impact ICLs can have?
I recently acted for two children who had been selected to attend a talented sports high school. They were so excited but their parents could not agree on their attendance (among other issues). I advocated for them and they are now well settled and excelling at that school. Their parents had high conflict but it was otherwise not the worst case I had seen and yet the children were just so excited.
What are the biggest challenges you think currently face ICLs in Australia?
Putting the funding issue aside, which is huge, the other issue is the time it takes from the Order appointing the ICL to when the ICL gets involved. I have had matters where there has been months and months of delay and then you are required to prepare and get across thousands of pages of material in a very short time frame.
Last Updated on 23/07/2026