Who is leading the change
- Court Services Victoria
The Judicial College of Victoria include material on the dynamics and complexities of family violence in other general programs offered to all judicial officers and Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal members, in addition to the specific family violence programs and resources provided to date.
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In various forms, family violence presents in all Victorian jurisdictions: Supreme Court, County Court, Magistrates’ Court, Children’s Court, Coroners Court and VCAT.
The Royal Commission into Family Violence recognised the prevalence of family violence in each jurisdiction’s case load and recommended education and training for judicial officers and court staff.
The Judicial College of Victoria is responsible for major aspects of this education and training program, especially developing knowledge and skills for judicial officers in all jurisdictions.
In addition to the specific family violence programs developed in response to Rec 216, the College works to integrate material on the dynamics and complexities of family violence where appropriate in general College program and publications.
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The Judicial College of Victoria has dedicated a team to developing and delivering a curriculum for family violence education for all Victorian judicial officers and VCAT members. Additional funding by the State Government in the 2017-18 Budget has enabled the College to recruit staff to roll out family violence education to judicial officers and VCAT members over the next four years.
In addition to the specific family violence programs outlined in relation to recommendation 216, family violence material has been provided in the following general programs in 2017 and 2018:
- Orientation for new VCAT members (March 2017)
- County Court conference (April 2017)
- Cultural Sensitivity in the Court Room (June 2017)
- Drug Court team training in August (one full day on recognising and responding to family violence) (August 2017)
- Coroner’s Intensive (August 2017)
- Court Craft Component 1 (August 2017)
- Law and Literature: Summer Reading (October 2017)
- County Court Judges PD program (November 2017)
- Drug Court Education Program (February 2018)
- Judgement Writing Education Program (March 2018)
- Magistrates’ Wellbeing: A conversation about change (March 2018)
Family violence material is being prepared for other general programs later in 2018 including Bail reform (May 2018) and Intermediaries scheme training (May 2018).
This recommendation is linked with recommendations 120, 175 and 216.
- Implemented.
Reviewed 17 May 2020