Specialist family violence courts
MCV has a number of specialist family violence courts that provide services specialising in family violence matters.
Specialist family violence courts
Specialist family violence courts are located at the Ballarat, Broadmeadows, Dandenong, Frankston, Geelong, Heidelberg, Latrobe Valley, Melbourne, Moorabbin, Ringwood, Shepparton and Sunshine Magistrates' courts, and:
- provide easy access to the court
- promote the safety of people affected by violence
- increase the accountability of people who have used violence against family members, encouraging them to change behaviour, and
- increase the protection of children exposed to family violence.
Each specialist family violence court has:
- magistrates who are trained in hearing family violence matters
- magistrates who can make counselling orders
- a registrar trained in family violence who coordinates all services and works to ensure matters are heard in a timely manner
- family violence applicant and respondent practitioners who are specially trained to provide support. They can also provide referrals to community support agencies to ensure people have the support they need outside of court, and
- police prosecutors, outreach workers and lawyers with family violence training.
Specialist family violence courts can hear intervention order cases at the same time as other matters, including:
- bail applications and pleas in criminal cases
- family law parenting order matters
- victims of crime applications related to family violence.
Resources
Legislation
This is not a full list of legislation associated with this topic. See the Victorian Government's legislation website for more information.