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FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA ■ Availability and Collection of Divorce Applications and Related Information for the Family Court of Australia. Through Service Tasmania Shop fronts, the Hobart Registry of the Family Court now provides a localised collection and preliminary checking service of divorce applications and other over the counter applications for clients in regional and rural Tasmania. 1.6 Website ~ STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO PROCEEDINGS IN THE FAMILY COURT Developing the Step-by-Step Guide to Proceedings in the Family Court was a major initiative of the project. The website was launched by the Chief Justice, at the Australian Institute for Judicial Administration (AIJA), Technology for Justice Conference in Sydney in October 2002. The aim was to provide information to assist not only self-represented litigants but all clients of the Court, represented or not. The specific outcomes for the project brief were: ■ ■ ■ to develop a ‘user friendly’ web interface, which allows self-represented litigants to access information relevant to their needs at any point along the Court’s case management pathway to provide procedural information around Court events eg. filing, case assessment conference to provide information about Court events (eg. a hearing in chambers, a hearing in Court) that will allow them to prepare for that event Another important aim was to provide information and links to services for people who were considering separation or who had recently separated. The Court engaged consultants known for their expertise in the presentation of information for easy understanding and accessibility to develop this project. The first step was to scope the project, then to gather information from stakeholders and likely users via a consultative process. As part of this phase, as well as discussion with staff in the Court, interviews were undertaken with selfrepresenting litigants, ordinary 'people in the street', and agencies which deal with people seeking information on family law matters. Further information was gathered from the project email box. 5 12 5 Details page 9.
Self-represented Litigants ~ A Challenge: PROJECT REPORT Literature on self-represented litigants, legal information, website navigation and useability as well as a review of many legal websites contributed to the development of the concept for the site. The consultants presented a comprehensive report which included recommendations for content, structure, navigation and design elements. The next step was to develop a prototype for the site based on a slice of the proposed content, and to test this with users. The legal profession also viewed the prototype and provided input. After some minor adjustments, full development of the site was approved by the Court. All content was developed using information-mapping principles to ensure consistency and a high level of ease of understanding. The final product was a joint effort, of the consultants for development of the concept and the content, the project coordinator, a graphic designer, 'subject matter experts' from within the Court who reviewed content, communications staff, project support staff and the Court's webmaster. While the impetus for the website was the SRL project it is anticipated that it will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in the operations of the Family Court. Lawyers, legal aid and community legal centres can direct their clients to the site, to give them a clearer understanding of Court processes. The Court is looking at building the website into its induction program for all new staff. The website also has potential for those in rural and remote areas where there is limited direct access to a Family Court Registry. Since its launch the site has been well received and has sparked interest from other courts interested in developing similar sites for their clientele. In the first three months the number of hits on the top 10 pages of the Step-by-Step guide exceeded 60,000, including: ■ Separation & Divorce – 10,550 ■ Front Page – 8038 ■ Property & Money Matters – 7938 ■ Children’s Matters – 6546 ■ Family Law Basics - 5064 13
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