The Law and Justice Foundation of NSW has undertaken a program of research for Legal Aid NSW which will support coroners courts and legal assistance services seeking to develop culturally appropriate services and practices. Legal Aid NSW sought to understand more about culturally sensitive practices or strategies that have been employed within various coronial jurisdictions.

The starting point of the Foundation’s investigation is a literature scan that is reported here. In this scan, the focus is on the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families’ experience of the coronial process. Given the dearth of evidence in this space, the focus was then broadened to encompass the experiences of all families. This understanding can be used to identify where services could be developed or improved to better serve the families of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people when engaged with the coronial system in Australia. This literature scan informs this work.