Australia’s Most Detailed Family Court Process Survey

Help document what really happens when allegations, delay, expert reports, children’s views, supervised time, therapy, non-compliance and enforcement failures affect a parent-child relationship.

This survey is designed to collect detailed real-world examples from parents whose relationship with their children has been restricted, delayed, damaged or lost through the family court process.

Get the Survey Spreadsheet

Enter your name and email below and the detailed Family Court Process Survey will be emailed to you.

Download it, answer as much as you are comfortable answering, and send it back when completed.

Your information will be treated carefully. You can choose how much detail you provide and whether your information may be used anonymously for pattern evidence, legal research, advocacy or reform work.

This is not a quick tick-box survey.

It is a detailed evidence-gathering tool designed to identify patterns across family law matters, including whether parenting outcomes are being shaped by delay, untested allegations, professional assumptions, failed orders, therapy pathways, supervised-contact barriers, children’s refusal, or non-enforcement.

After you enter your details, you will receive the survey spreadsheet by email.

Download it, complete as much as you are willing and able to answer, and return it by email when finished.

You do not need to answer every question. Some people may only complete one section. Others may complete the whole survey. Every genuine example helps.

What the survey is trying to find out

This survey is collecting detailed examples of cases where:

a parent was restricted from seeing or communicating with their children;
allegations affected parenting time before being fully tested;
AVOs, police processes or external proceedings affected the family law matter;
expert reports, family reports, ICLs, therapists or contact services influenced the outcome;
children’s views or refusal became central to the case;
court-ordered therapy, supervised time or reintroduction pathways failed;
parenting orders were made but not practically enforced;
delay created or entrenched the status quo;
one parent remained cut off from children despite no clear finding that they were an unacceptable risk.

Why this matters

The purpose is to collect pattern evidence.

One parent’s experience can be dismissed as an individual dispute. Hundreds of detailed examples may show something much larger: a systemic problem in how family law proceedings deal with allegations, delay, expert evidence, children’s rejection, failed orders and enforcement.

This information may assist legal research, public advocacy, reform work, media briefing, and a broader High Court constitutional challenge about due process, proper adjudication and whether family court orders are actually protecting children’s relationships with both parents.

What you will receive

You will receive a spreadsheet survey covering issues such as:

your parenting orders;
whether those orders were followed;
allegations and whether they were tested;
family reports and expert reports;
ICL involvement;
children’s views and refusal;
supervised time or contact-centre problems;
reunification therapy or counselling;
non-compliance and enforcement;
delay;
practical and emotional impact;
documents or evidence that support your experience.

Important note

This is not legal advice.

Only provide information you are comfortable sharing. You do not need to name the other parent if you do not want to. You can leave any section blank.

Do not send anything that would breach a court order, publication restriction, confidentiality obligation, suppression order, privacy obligation, or legal advice you have received.