Hambly and Anor and Clifton

This matter came before Judge Harland concerning the welfare of a child, [X]. The dispute involved the mother, the father, and the maternal grandmother, with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) also playing a role. The proceedings addressed interim living arrangements for the child and the preparation of a family report.

The court was required to determine the interim living arrangements for the child, [X], and to order the preparation of a family report. The family report was to address the child's views, factors relevant to those views, and the matters set out in sections 60CC, 61DA, and 65DAA of the *Family Law Act 1975*, as well as any other matters the family consultant deemed important for the child's welfare. The court also considered the appropriate dissemination of this report.

Judge Harland made consent orders regarding a urine analysis drug test for the mother, to be paid for by the father, and ordered that the child live with the maternal grandmother and father from the date of the order until 13 November 2014, followed by a rotation between the mother and maternal grandmother. The court also ordered the parties and the child to attend upon a family consultant for the preparation of a family report, with specific directions regarding the report's content, release, and potential further dissemination to relevant agencies, subject to objection. The court noted concerns about the DCF's conduct in the proceedings, particularly a case worker swearing an affidavit in support of the mother's case, and ordered that a copy of the transcript and the reasons for judgment be sent to the CEO of the Department of Children and Families.