The Child Welfare Tribunal's role in child welfare cases is limited to the provisions of the Child Welfare Act that concern coercive measures. The tribunal decides whether the legal requirements for use of coercion are met. This includes cases concerning care orders pursuant to the Child Welfare Act Section 5-1, cases concerning access and contact between parent and child after a child has been taken into care pursuant to the Child Welfare Act Chapter 7, and cases concerning the placement of young people with serious behavioural problems in an institution pursuant to the Child Welfare Act Section 6-2.
The Child Welfare Act also sets out rules for the Child Welfare Tribunal’s case processing. These rules are found in Chapter 14 of the Act. This chapter also states that some of the provisions of the Dispute Act and the Courts of Justice Act apply to the tribunal.