Policy · Child Protection & Care Proceedings
Firm protocol: AI use with child protection records
Internal protocol controlling whether and how AI tools may process departmental casework files, reports, assessments and subpoenaed records in care matters, given publication prohibitions, reporter protection and the Court's adoption of SC Gen 23.
- Kind
- Policy. A policy or procedure for a firm or client.
- Where it applies
- New South Wales
- AI use
- Red Keep AI out of the decisive steps. A lawyer does the work.
- Law stated as at
- 17 October 2026
- Status
- Maintained. Checked on 17 October 2026 against the 5 authorities it cites, for New South Wales.
- Version
- 1
- Source
- Written for this library
When to use it
Adopt for any practice acting in NSW care proceedings (parents, carers, children or other parties). Review when the firm changes AI tools, when the Children's Court or Supreme Court changes its AI practice note, or after any incident.
How AI may be used
Child protection records are restricted, not merely confidential. This protocol permits only narrowly defined tasks in approved closed tools after clearance and redaction, and keeps the child's words, placement details and reporter identities out of AI entirely.
AI may
- Chronology extraction from cleared, redacted departmental records in an Approved Tool, with page citations
- Contact-record reconciliation against the contact order, with sources
- Statutory timeline calculations from sealed orders
AI must not
- Must not receive a child's words or disclosures, placement addresses, carer identities or reporter information
- Must not draft or rephrase affidavits or the child's views
- Must not be used through any public or consumer AI account
The lawyer checks
- Clearance under clause 5 recorded before any processing
- Redaction completed and checked by a person
- Every AI output verified against source pages before use
Method: how the Green, Yellow and Red levels are decided. This is guidance for planning, not legal advice.
Read the full text
The full text is for signed-in accounts. It is free. When you sign in you can:
- read the whole precedent, with its drafting notes beside it;
- copy it, or download it as a Word file or Markdown;
- add it to your firm’s knowledge base, so colleagues can find it;
- let the AI tools you connect read it from that knowledge base.
The summary, the law it rests on and the AI-use guidance above stay public. Privacy.
More in Child Protection & Care Proceedings
- Children's Court of NSW care and protection forms: which form, when, and how to complete it safely
- Application to rescind or vary a care order (s 90, Form 3): leave checklist and supporting affidavit outline (NSW)
- Plain-language letter of advice to a parent in NSW care proceedings
- Checklist: testing the care plan and permanency plan against the statutory requirements (NSW)
- Checklist: AI-assisted review of subpoenaed casework files in care proceedings
All precedents for Child Protection & Care Proceedings · Tasks and AI use in this area