New cubby offers children sanctuary when they attend court
Imagine you are 10 years old, and terrified.
You’ve had very little sleep at an overnight emergency placement. Your clothes are in the bag you’re holding. And today you’ll go to court to find out if you will be removed from your family.
It’s a time most young people will remember vividly, when every effort should be made to reduce the trauma in the process that confronts them.
But enter the austere, glass-clad Melbourne Children’s Court, in the city’s legal precinct, and it’s hard to imagine a space less welcoming to a shell-shocked child.
Until recently, the only waiting area the court had for young people in child protection was a tiny room with a photocopier, couch and television.
Children had to sit, sometimes for hours, while their busy child protection workers filled out forms and liaised with lawyers.
Now a new child-friendly space at the Melbourne Children’s Court, known as the “Cubby House”, will be launched this week, an initiative of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
The colourful sanctuary is dotted with bean bags and tactile furniture, lots of toys, board games books and computer games, and even a couple of nooks where exhausted children can nap.
A trained youth worker is present to explain the bewildering court process to children, and can act as a conduit between lawyers or child protection.
The Melbourne space is based on a pilot cubby house program at Broadmeadows Children’s Court – the first in Australia – which has been so successful that it’s now a permanent fixture.
“If the purpose of this court is to decide the future of children, then they should be central to its design and there should be a safe, supportive place for the kids,” says Lee Cameron, from the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.
An evaluation of the Broadmeadows cubby house found the simple concept has yielded huge benefits.
It significantly improved the experiences of young people at court, reduced the number of security incidents, and reduced the stress of child protection staff while children were in their care.
And because young people were calmer and more relaxed, they were also better able to instruct their lawyers on their wishes during the court process.
Ideally, children do not come to court, says Judge Amanda Chambers, the President of the Children’s Court.
But sometimes, when major decisions are made about their future, they need to be present.
“We want to make this space as welcoming as possible so that young people are able to give the clearest instruction to their lawyers and make their wishes known,” Judge Chambers says.
And the court is considering introducing a “concierge”, who would assist people when they arrive and help them navigate the court system.
The Cubby House retrofit is part of a broader $800,000 refurbishment of the court to make it less imposing and more child-friendly, and to meet the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence.
It includes a redesigned public courtyard and children’s play area, separate waiting areas for victims and perpetrators, and tactile walls for children to play with.
Attorney-General Martin Pakula said the Cubby House would give vulnerable children a safe place at court.
“Going to court can be an extremely daunting experience, especially for young children who are often dealing with traumatic family circumstances,” he said.