Magistrates' Court staff hold daily meetings before hearings start in a family violence list

As part of a number of court reforms the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria is working to make courts safer and less traumatic for victim survivors by developing innovative approaches to improve the court experience. Work on this recommendation involves:

• consulting with stakeholders to agree on policy and the roles of key agencies
• undertaking a co-design process
• undertaking implementation of co-ordination meetings

Daily coordination meetings have been developed in line with best practice guidelines, and rolled out across all of the headquarter Magistrates’ Courts from April 2018. The standards for coordination meetings set out in the Family Violence Court Division Operating Procedures (2007) have been adapted to ensure they capture the new family violence landscape, including the family violence Information Sharing Scheme and the Support and Safety Hubs.

The Information Sharing Scheme, which commenced on 26 February 2018, has enabled all relevant information to be shared and appropriate cases given high-priority, which has further enhanced the daily coordination meetings. The coordination meetings include court staff, Victoria Police, legal services, specialist family violence service providers and applicant and respondent practitioners. This recommendation relates to the work for Recommendations 62, 65, 67, 68, 73 and 135.

Implemented.