The Professional Alliance for Child Centered Safety will host an online event featuring Janette Hermann, MSocSc, presenting her research on handling false sexual abuse allegations in custody cases. The session examines critical challenges and offers recommendations for child-centered justice. Hermann's study, based on interviews with South African magistrates, explores how courts can remain child-centered despite biases, trauma and complex evidence.
Key themes include judicial bias, conflicting expert evidence, trauma-informed procedures and strategies to restore the child's voice in legal processes. The research provides insights into safeguarding children's rights during complex family court proceedings. Forensic social work plays a vital role in this process by bridging the gap between psychological truth and legal evidence, ensuring that every voice, especially that of the child, is both heard and protected.
The findings from this research serve as a reminder that justice is not only about outcomes but about the processes through which those outcomes are reached. Hermann emphasized that by adopting a trauma-informed, evidence-based and collaborative approach, professionals can create systems that protect children, support families and uphold the integrity of the justice process. Her academic research at the University of Cape Town focused specifically on judicial decision-making in false sexual abuse allegations, offering vital insights for legal and social work professionals.
The virtual event will take place on October 26, 2025, at 5:00 PM EDT and will include both presentation and discussion components. Registration is available through https://www.paccs.global. PACCS is a 501(c)(3) practitioner-led network dedicated to reforming family court practices to prioritize child safety and wellbeing, connecting clinicians, attorneys, researchers, and advocates to collaborate on evidence-based, child-first reforms.
