Janet Carmichael is Executive Director Child Dispute Services, Family Court of Australia & Federal Circuit Court of Australia.

Janet is a psychologist with over 30 years’ experience working with children and families across the areas of child development, child protection and family relationships.

After nearly 20 years undertaking direct service delivery, Janet became the manager of the family counselling, family mediation and men’s relationships programs at CatholicCare Sydney from 2004-2008, before becoming the inaugural manager of the Sydney City Family Relationship Centre for Relationships Australia NSW in 2008.

From 2013-1017 she was a Director with Open Arms (Commonwealth Department of Veterans Affairs) overseeing the delivery of counselling, groups and support services to veterans and current serving defence personnel and their families in NSW and ACT.

Janet took on her current national position with the Courts in 2017, and is responsible for the work of family consultants both employed by the Court and those engaged under Regulation 7 of the Family Law Regulations 1984 (Cth).

Family consultants play an important role in assisting and advising families and the Courts in relation to disputes about children.

In this current role Janet sits in the Courts’ executive group and is actively involved in a range of initiatives currently underway in the Courts.