Care and Protection Panel Open for Applications

22/05/2025

Legal Aid NSW invites barristers to apply for the Legal Aid NSW Care and Protection Panel (the Care Panel).

The Care Panel is for legal representation of legally aided adult clients and for either direct or independent legal representation of children depending on their age. This is not a panel for briefing in care matters.

Barristers on the Care Panel directly representing clients must ensure compliance with the Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules, in particular Rule 22.

The Care Panel is open to junior counsel only.

A barrister can submit their application through the Panels Application Website using their Grants Online username and password.

Information about the Care Panel, including the panel individual requirements, application questions, assessment process and compulsory training for applicants, is available at the Barrister panels webpage.

Applications for the Care Panel must be submitted by 22 May 2025.

Eligible applicants will be invited to attend the Representing Children Workshop which will be held at the Teachers Federation Building in Surry Hills from 9am on Thursday 12 June 2025.

The Workshop will build upon your knowledge of care and protection and ask you to apply it to scenario questions from the perspective of independent and direct legal representatives. You will hear from Magistrate Sheedy, Children’s Court Clinicians, and Children’s Court Registrars and also join with your fellow practitioners and trainers to work through case studies to assess your skills in care and protection and child representation.

More Information

All barristers approved for the Care Panel are required to comply with the Legal Aid NSW Service Agreement and Quality Standards. Clause 26 of the Quality Standards sets out specific practice standards for the Care Panel.

Enquiries

If you have any questions about applying to the Care Panel, contact Legal Aid NSW at panels@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.

For any Workshop enquiries, please contact childcarerepresentation@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.

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