Justice Minister Andrew Little has appointed a panel to review changes made to the Family Court in 2014.

The panel will focus on the process of the Family Court, in particular mandatory mediation sessions where lawyers are not allowed to be present, not the principles of the court itself.

Former Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan will lead the three-person panel, which will be supported by an expert reference group.

ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF The panel must report back no later than May of next year.

The review is set to cost about $1.2 million, and the panel must report back no later than May.

The 2014 changes under review were intended to make the Family Court more efficient, with the introduction of a mandatory family dispute resolution session where lawyers could not be present, and the removal of lawyers from the initial stages of most proceedings.

"The 2014 changes were meant to help people resolve parenting disputes without having to go to court, but have in fact led to the opposite as there's been a huge increase in the number of urgent 'without notice' applications which have to be put before a Family Court judge," Little said.

"The overwhelming range of comments that I get as justice minister about the family court is that many women who are parties to proceedings in the court don't feel as if they are being heard, particularly victims of domestic violence. Many men - fathers - feel that their applications to play a parenting role in the lives of their child aren't being properly heard.

"And we know for a lot of children, applications are taking a lot more time to sort out."

Little said he was concerned families and children were losing out as a result of not receiving adequate advice and support during times of distress.

He stressed this was not a first principles review of the whole court. Rather, it's a look at the process of justice within it.

"I've directed the Panel to take a human rights approach when considering improvements to ensure that welfare and best interests of the children are paramount when settling disputes about their care."

Noonan said problems had been apparent not long after the 2014 reforms, but the answer was not simply to reverse them.