Family violence intervention orders (FVIO)
A court order to protect a person, their children and their property from a family member, partner or ex-partner.
You should contact the police by calling (triple zero) 000 if you are in immediate danger or if you feel unsafe.
Preparing your family violence intervention order case for court
If you have a family violence intervention order hearing date listed, you should fill out a Pre-Court Information (PCI) Form and submit it to the court as soon as possible, ensuring it is submitted at least seven days before your court hearing.
If it is less than seven days before your court hearing or you need help filling out this form, please contact the court where your case is listed.
The PCI form helps the court get your case ready and must be completed if:
- You are either the applicant, the affected family member or the respondent, and you have not previously submitted a PCI form or there has been a change in circumstances since you last filed one;
- Your contact details have changed;
- You need an interpreter;
- Your legal needs have changed; or
- The case has an application to extend, vary or revoke listed, and you have not filed a PCI form for that application.
The PCI form is available online for:
The Court will use the information in the PCI form to:
- Contact you (if necessary) to prepare for your court hearing;
- Provide you with court documents;
- make referrals, if you agree.
If you are unable to complete the PCI form online, you can download a PDF version of the form.
A PDF version can be downloaded for:
What is family violence?
Family violence is harmful behaviour that is used to control, threaten, force or dominate a family member through fear. It includes:
- physical acts, such as hitting or pushing a person
- sexual abuse, such as pressuring a person to behave sexually in ways they are not comfortable with
- emotional or psychological abuse, such as controlling who a person can see or where they can go, or calling them names
- financial abuse, such as controlling how a person uses money.
If a child hears, sees or is around family violence in any way, they are also covered by the law. This includes if a child:
- helps an abused family member
- sees damaged property in the family home
- is at a family violence incident when the police arrive.
The police must respond to all reports of family violence. They can act even if a person does not want them to because they must put the safety of a person and their children first.
Examples of family violence
| Behaviour | Examples |
|---|---|
| Physical violence |
|
| Sexual violence |
|
| Property damage |
|
| Economic abuse |
|
| Emotional, social or psychological violence |
|
| Threats |
|
| Coercing, controlling, dominating or terrorising |
|
Who are family members?
For family violence intervention orders, family members are:
- people who share an intimate personal relationship, whether there is a sexual relationship or not—for example, married, de facto or domestic partners
- parents and children, including children of an intimate partner
- relatives by birth, marriage or adoption
- people you treat like a family member—for example, a carer, guardian, or person who is related to you within the family structure of your culture.
The law also protects a person from anyone who was a family member in the past.
To apply for an intervention order against a person who is not a family member, partner or ex-partner, see the personal safety intervention orders page.
What is a family violence intervention order?
It is a legally enforceable document that aims to provide a person, their children and their property with protection.
The order has conditions to stop the respondent from using family violence against the protected person.
Depending on the conditions, the law might require the respondent to:
- stop the behaviour
- not contact or communicate with the protected person, or get someone else to do it for them
- not go to or stay near the protected person, or get someone else to do it for them.
There are other orders that the magistrate can make, such as having the respondent’s firearm licences suspended or cancelled.
An intervention order is a civil matter. Breaking the conditions makes it a criminal matter.
To apply for a family violence intervention order, see applying for a family violence intervention order.
To find out what happens when the police apply for an order, see understanding police applications.
If you received an application and summons, or an order, see responding to an intervention order.
