An evaluation of the legal services set up to support Victoria’s first five specialist family violence courts. The establishment of a network of specialist family violence courts across all headquarter Magistrates’ Courts in Victoria was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. The evaluation provides evidence of the effectiveness of legal services at these courts and their value as an integral part of the family violence prevention and response system; demonstrating the important role that holistic legal assistance plays in addressing gender-based violence in Australia. The services are provided by Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) and community legal centres who hope to extend the model to all specialist family violence courts across the state.

A final evaluation has found the legal services:

• are in line with international best practice for trauma-informed and client-focused family violence legal services
• help to address people’s non-legal needs which can increase risk if left unaddressed
• contribute to improved safety by connecting people to specialist support and legal assistance which can facilitate increased compliance with orders.

Recommendations

• Improve information for respondents, both online and at court.
• Improve clarity for court staff and the bench around the non-legal support roles.
• Continue to explore how referral pathways can be established and strengthened to maximise client referrals prior to an initial court hearing.
• Continue development of an expanded range of training modules.
• Use this evaluation work to inform and support VLA’s wider advocacy efforts around the value of public legal assistance in improving safety and reducing family violence risk.
• Establish feedback channels to receive information about the model’s operation at different locations in a consistent and ongoing way.