From Policy to Implementation—How Family Relationship Centres Became a Reality

• Published date: 01 April 2013
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12022
• Author: Sue Pidgeon
• Date: 01 April 2013

FROM POLICY TO IMPLEMENTATION—HOW FAMILY

RELATIONSHIP CENTRES BECAME A REALITY

Sue Pidgeon

This article deals with the process undertaken by the Australian Government to develop and implement Family Relationship

Centres (FRCs) as part of a major package of reforms to the Australian family law system. The article outlines consultation

undertaken in developing the reforms and explains the role of the FRCs. The article details the practical steps taken to roll-out

the new FRCs. The services were to be outsourced to community-based service providers but there weremany issues for the

Government to address, including: howan FRC should operate; where they should be located; how to allocate the funding; and

how to manage the roll-out of so many services. Other aspects of the implementation coveredin the ar ticle include: addressing

accessibility and quality control issues; training FRC staff; establishing a national telephone advice line and website; and

informing the public about the new services. The article also refers to steps taken to support the introduction of compulsory

dispute resolution; and research and evaluation undertaken to measure the impact of the reforms.

Keypoints for the Family Court Community

•Family Relationship Centres (FRCs) were a new type of service and their development and implementation raised a

range of issues to be dealt with by the Australian Government.

•Determining where and when FRCs would be rolled out, selecting community-based service providers, addressing

accessibility and quality control issues, training FRC staff and raising public awarenessof the new services were all part

of the implementation process.

•As brand new services, FRCs were able to be innovative and to develop new processes (and adapt old ones) to suit their

role as an alternative to the courts and as a doorway to the wider family law system.

Keywords: FamilyLaw Policy;Family Law Reform;Family Law Services;Family Law System;Family Relationship Centres;

Implementation;Mediation;and Outsourcing Services.

INTRODUCTION

The idea of Family Relationship Centres (FRCs) came at the right time forAustralia’s Federal

Government.1The Parliamentary report Every Picture Tells a Story, released in December 2003

(Family and Community AffairsCommittee, 2003), had recommended a wide range of changes to the

family law system, including changes to the law, the courts, the child support system and an expansion

of services assisting families going through separation. One of several controversial recommendations

was the establishment of a tribunal to hear family law matters involving children (Family and

Community Affairs Committee, 2003, recommendation 12). The Family Court of Australia and the

Federal Magistrates Court already shared jurisdiction for family law matters and the Government

was not keen on adding to the complexity of the judicial system. However, it also recognizedthat there

needed to be a fundamental change in approach to the way family breakdown was dealt with in

Australia.

FRCs were to provide that new approach, supported by an expansion of existing services, such as

counseling and mediation, and the introduction of compulsory dispute resolution.

In July 2004, the Government released a Framework Statement on Reforms to the Family Law

System setting out its proposals (Commonwealth of Australia, July 2004). They included the estab-

lishment of a network of FRCs around Australia, expansion of other services, changes to the law and

the courts, plus a major review of the formulae used to calculate child support obligations. Contro-

versially,the Framework proposed changes to the way in which child custody wasdealt with under the

Correspondence: pidgeon@home.netspeed.com.au

FAMILY COURT REVIEW,Vol. 51 No. 2, April 2013 224–233

© 2013 Association of Familyand Conciliation Cour ts