Support dogs ‘sworn in’ at New South Wales Family Court

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Family Court in New South Wales is bringing on board its first support dog to help vulnerable individuals and children feel calmer and safer during court proceedings. The program offers trained facility dogs specifically for court and is being expanded across New South Wales this week.

Transcript

00:00It's a special day here at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia with Molly the

00:07new court dog being sworn in.

00:09Molly gave her signature paw print this morning at Parramatta and she's one of three new court

00:13dogs being sworn in this week, with the other in Sydney's CPD and at Newcastle.

00:19It's the latest expansion of the court dog program, supported by Guide Dogs Australia

00:23and the Law Society of New South Wales.

00:26These facility dogs have been trained to identify people who are feeling stressed or anxious

00:30in a courtroom and provide a sense of comfort and calmness.

00:34Jennifer Ball, the President of the Law Society of New South Wales says this is an exciting

00:39step forward for the court dog program.

00:42From today, Molly will be here offering a dependable paw, a head to pat and an ear to scratch.

00:50In doing so, grounding people in those very difficult moments.

00:55Court dogs like Molly won't just sit in court proceedings but will have a presence around

00:59the registry, providing support during interviews or when giving evidence.

01:03This week, New South Wales gets to welcome these three new court dogs, expanding on a program

01:08that's been regarded as effective in Victoria and also in Tasmania.

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