Minister Jim O’Callaghan announces Dr Carol Coulter will establish Family Law Reporting Project
- Published on: 2 January 2026
- Last updated on: 2 January 2026
02 January 2026
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan has today (02 January) announced that the Child Law Project, under the executive directorship of Dr Carol Coulter, has been commissioned by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to deliver a Family Law Reporting Project.
The Child Law Project was awarded the tender following a competitive procurement process which launched on 21 August 2025. The Family Law Reporting Project aims to enhance transparency for the public about private family law proceedings and build confidence in the judicial determination of private family law disputes, while continuing to ensure the privacy of those proceedings for children and families.
It is an initiative under Goal 6 of the Government’s Family Justice Strategy 2022-2025, Data Information and Management, which commits to improving data collection and sharing. Once established, the Family Law Reporting Project is expected to run for three years.
Dr. Coulter established the Child Law Project in 2012 and has served as its Executive Director since then. She is a former Legal Affairs Editor of the Irish Times and established a Pilot Project on Family Law Reporting for the Courts Service in 2006/2007.
Minister Jim O’Callaghan said:
"I am pleased that my department has awarded a tender for private family law reporting to the Child Law Project, under the leadership of Dr Carol Coulter.
“As a department, our aim is to create a family justice system that works better for everyone engaging with it, but particularly for those who need additional supports and protections, such as those affected by domestic violence or vulnerable parents and children.
“Currently there is no comprehensive system in Ireland for regularly and systematically reporting on private family law proceedings. Establishing such a reporting system is a hugely significant initiative under the Family Justice Strategy. I am confident this project will serve to further promote transparency and fairness in how family law proceedings are conducted. I also expect that it will produce key information for my department to support the ongoing development of family justice policy and legislation.”
ENDS
Notes for editor
Ensuring transparency and promoting a greater understanding of the family law system is critical to maintaining and building trust in it. At the same time, those who seek the assistance of the Courts in resolving their family justice disputes need to be assured that their privacy, and that of their children, will be maintained.
In recognising the need for a balance between these two positions, the Family Justice Strategy committed to undertaking a review the operation of the in-camera rule in family law proceedings.
Further to this commitment, an independent research report was published in the operation of the rule in May 2025 which contains 21 recommendations, a number of which related to the promotion of greater transparency, while ensuring that the privacy of those seeking the court’s help, as well as any children about whom proceedings relate, is protected.
The overall aim of the Family Law Reporting Project is to provide transparency for the public, while ensuring that children’s and parents’ rights to privacy are upheld.
The Family Law Reporting Project will involve the following key actions:
- Collecting information on key aspects of family law cases to enable the compilation of statistics, such as timescales, types of order being sought, legal representation of the parties (both parties, one party, neither).
- Analysing the data collated and reporting on trends in family law cases to inform policymakers, the judiciary, legal practitioners and the public.
- Providing descriptions of the cases as they unfold, detailing key aspects of each hearing attended.
- Describing what kinds of orders are being sought and the reasons given for those requests.
- Capturing the perspectives of the parties and witnesses in family law proceedings as can be determined from observations and court records.
- Documenting and summarising the decisions of the judge and the reasons being given.
- Synthesising the findings into accessible reports to enhance understanding, inform policy, and support transparency while safeguarding privacy.