Criteria to be met? none - a recommendation from the ICL supported by the magistrate, while not being a CRITERIA per se... Is indicative that they think it a good idea.. So nope they can't make you... But they can perceive your choice not to as a negative...
Hired GUN? look if the ex was paying the hired gun to write the report he wanted, then worry. Be he isn't... TRUE?
Online reviews? look. people who did not get the response they wanted write online reviews... Doesn't mean they are accurate, it means they are pissed at not getting the result they wanted... Bit like the courts, those who didn't get the result they want claim the courts are unfair / bias etc etc... Those who got the result they wanted continue on their happy way. True.
There are so many things that do not add up in this story. The biggest red flag for me is that someone is claiming that both an ICL and a Judge have said that some kind of psychiatric testing should be done and that this has simply been cast aside with a few words. This simply does not happen. Even the reason this woman has given for the testing is suspect. I think she said words to the effect of it was so the court could see if she could cope with changeovers. This is not really a reason why a psychiatric test would be ordered, or not one i have come across before
You would have to assume that, in person, this woman would be running the same arguments in court to not get the report and from what i have read her reasons are that the court is corrupt, the ICL is hiring a friend (hired gun) and that the whole process is flawed. We both know that anyone entering a mention or callover and talking like this would be shot down in flames in three seconds.
Then we come to the 8 years of court. The only possible way this can be true is if it is a second or third case or the Dad has had to file multiple contraventions. It would not surprise me, given this woman's attitude towards co parenting and the fact that she has already admitted to absconding with the kids, that this might well be true
Also, this woman does give the impression that the kids do not live with her whilst claiming they do, and then talks about kids being adults now. Nothing makes sense.
I stand by my theory that this kind of testing can really help you in the course of your case if you have nothing to hide. I have used, an i have helped others use, these kinds of reports to their advantage quite a few times.
You are spot on in your call on online reviews. The court is an adversarial situation and there is usually going to be one unhappy party when a report or the like is released. This does not mean the courts are corrupt. Of course, there are some very poor report writers out there, there are those who do not tell the truth in relation to what goes down during interviews but they are not ALL the reporters out there
I am a believer that all reports, be they full family reports, limited issue reports or single expert witness reports should be recorded and that the videos should be used in proceedings but i doubt this will ever happen
As for this woman, i simply do not believe what she is saying.