Perspectives of presiding officers and state prosecutors on the expected quality of forensic social workers’ court reports

The Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act, 32 of 2007, stipulates in Section 54 that individuals with knowledge of sexual offences committed against children must report this information to authorities (Republic of South Africa [RSA], 2007). As a result of limited corroborative evidence in many cases of child sexual violence (CSV), forensic social workers often conduct investigations and serve as expert witnesses in court. The court is the primary client of forensic social workers, who provide expert testimony, often presented in a report containing their findings. Such a report must be clear and useful for ruling in the child's best interest. However, concerns have been raised about the quality of these reports, which can impede judicial decision-making. This study explored the perspectives of presiding officers and state prosecutors regarding the quality of forensic social work (FSW) court reports, using a qualitative research approach with face-to-face, semi-structured interviews to gather data. The study found challenges such as the lack of standardised guidelines, varied understanding of FSW roles, and gaps between formal requirements and practical implementation. However, legal professionals still deemed these reports as crucial expert evidence in CSV cases. The study also found that collaboration between forensic social workers and legal professionals can be beneficial in FSW report writing.