Ahead of Abuse Law Practice and Reform: Navigating Evidence, Redress and Resolution, we spoke with Hayley Aldrich, Partner at Carroll O’Dea Lawyers, about the pressures and priorities facing practitioners supporting survivors. With the Redress Scheme entering its final years and intersecting legal pathways becoming increasingly complex, Hayley shares concise insights on trauma‑informed practice, navigating criminal, civil and redress decisions, common procedural pitfalls, and the emerging challenges posed by AI.
As the Redress Scheme approaches its final years, what do you see as the key priorities for practitioners supporting survivors?
As always, the key priority, in my opinion, for practitioners supporting survivors should be in ensuring that each client is represented to the best of a practitioners ability, in a trauma informed way. I think it is vital for practitioners to undergo trauma informed training, for the benefit of themselves and the clients they serve.
When survivors are choosing between criminal, civil and redress pathways, where do you see the biggest decision‑making difficulties?
The biggest decision making difficulties I think are timings, compensation on offer and trauma informed practice (or lack thereof). Whilst an application process to the Scheme may take less time (noting there are still delays at present due to the high volume of applications), the figures on offer (capped at $150,000) are still quite low compared to what a civil claim may be awarded – however the latter comes with a higher risk of retraumatisation to a survivor, due to excessive delays of court timetables.
How can practitioners ensure that their processes genuinely support recovery rather than risk re‑traumatisation?
By engaging in trauma informed training; this is the best way to ensure that practitioners can support their clients emotionally, whilst also professionally putting their case together. If a client doesn’t trust a practitioner, they will not disclose all the details – meaning that a practitioner cannot best represent a client. If a practitioner is trauma-informed, they have the tools at their disposal to earn the trust of their client.
What common pitfalls or misunderstandings do practitioners face when guiding survivors across multiple processes?
That all the different processes are interconnected and expecting that a client would be able to comprehend this without explanation.
Across personal injury practice more broadly, what emerging trends should practitioners be preparing for?
The answer would have to be the rise of Artificial Intelligence. Experts and law firms are using AI to assist with summaries of records, and that can become an issue if the information that the AI program provides does not accurately reflect the material. Further, we are seeing clients rely on AI to convey their own evidence or instructions in a coherent way – which could create problems when a client is later required to verbally give evidence/be cross-examined/speak to medical practitioners or other experts. Further some seem to rely on research they have found (using AI), which is not correct – further demonstrating how AI still should be used with caution by anyone wishing to rely on it for legal arguments or assistance.
These issues will be explored further in the session Abuse Law Practice and Reform: Navigating Evidence, Redress and Resolution on Friday, 13 March 2026, covering:
- Accountability, Proof and Resolution in Abuse Litigation
- Case Review: AA v Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle
- Putting the Plaintiff to Proof
- Current Landscape of ADR in Abuse Matters: Barriers and Opportunities for Settlement
- A Review of the National Redress Scheme and What Lies Beyond
- Options for Survivors: How to Support Between Criminal, Civil and Redress Processes
- Excellence and Issues with Expert Evidence
Hayley Aldrich, Partner, Caroll O'Dea Lawyers
Hayley Aldrich is a passionate lawyer with experience in litigation and compensation law. She has developed a practice with significant focus on representing and securing access to justice for members of the Stolen Generations, and others who have suffered as a result of sexual, physical and emotional/mental abuse as children. She is one of the most respected experts in this field, in part due to her dedication in developing and running a trauma informed practice. Hayley’s practice also includes acting for people in a range of personal injury matters, general litigation and international torts. She regularly appears in the District Court of NSW, the Supreme Court of NSW and the Personal Injury Commission.