The Authority will submit, by September 15, 2022, an opinion from a social worker, who will clarify what are the appropriate professional conditions for a professional assessment of the best interests of minors in their circumstances. In this framework, the social worker will clarify whether a one-time meeting with the minors at the authority's offices meets the aforementioned conditions."
In other words, the Authority was given an opportunity to present the proper manner of examining the best interests of the children following the religious opinion regarding the format of the meeting invented by the appellants, by a professional on its behalf.
- On November 20, 2022, the Authority's response was submitted, to which a written response from social worker Einat Rath was attached, as follows:
"The best interests of minors are a very broad concept, depending on the case. In each case, the relative comfort of the minor in the conversation, the preparation given in advance by the custodial parent, and the maturity that derives from the minor's age should be examined. The key word is flexibility during the meeting and creating communication allows, as much as possible, with everyone present in the meeting. It is important to note that the professional evaluation in this case is done in the framework of meetings that are not of a formal nature. The duration of the meeting, the degree of cooperation and the creation of trust are what will affect the understanding of the case, regardless of the number of meetings."
- On December 20, 2022, the appellants' response was submitted, in which it was argued that the letter from the social worker RIT was general and incomplete, and did not meet what was stated in my decision and what was required for the purpose of determining the appropriate professional conditions for a professional assessment of the child's best interest, which is a complex professional issue. It was argued that in the format set for the social worker's meeting with the children, it is not possible to formulate a professional and unbiased opinion regarding the best interests of the child, even according to the minimum requirements defined in the letter of the social worker. The response was based on the expert opinions regarding the format of the meeting, which were attached to the appellants' request to begin with regard to the conditions for holding the meeting that were detailed therein.
- On December 21, 2022, I determined:
"Ms. Rath's opinion uses general terms from which it is not possible to derive the manner in which the meeting was conducted.