Rights and Responsibilities of Parents
Parents have an important role when their child has to go to court:
- To be there to support their child.
- To give information to the court about their child.
- Arrange for their child to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible.
- Let the police or court staff know if they would like to say anything to the magistrate.
- Arrange appointments if the court needs any reports about their child. Go to the appointments with their child so they know what is happening.
If parents need any help at court or to make appointments for reports, they can speak to the court staff. A youth justice officer can also assist.
A young person under 17 must have a responsible adult at court with them.
If the court needs a report about the child, they will need to be interviewed by a youth justice officer.
Parents should go to interviews with their child. This is to enable the youth justice officer to also talk to parents about their child. It will also help parents to know what is happening.
For more information contact:
Children's Court on 08 9218 0100
Youth justice on 08 9218 0190.
Last updated: 10 April 2024