Providing advice to child witnesses under Section 18 Evidence Act (2008)

The Child Witness Service has developed this resource kit to assist legal practitioners to explain the concepts that s 18 Evidence Act (2008) encompasses, and to formalise the necessary processes that facilitate this. Inside you will find several documents to assist in providing this advice:

• a copy of the legislation – s 18 Evidence Act (2008)
• a procedures document that codifies the roles and responsibilities of the professionals involved
• plain language scripts to assist in explaining the advice to children, especially those who are particularly young or cognitively impaired
• a proforma document, provided to the court, confirming the advice has been given, and what the child’s instructions are in relation to making an application.