COVID-19 Measures

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the Children’s Court is:

• Hearing cases either in person or remotely subject to the current Practice Directions.
• Requiring that all documents must be filed electronically with the relevant Children's Court registry

Criminal Cases

Most cases will be heard in person so you must attend unless your lawyer or the court tell you your case will be heard online. If you have a criminal case in the Children’s Court, contact your lawyer or the relevant registry.

If you do not have a lawyer, call Victoria Legal Aid on 9269 0108 or the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service on 1800 064 865.

Child Protection Cases

If the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) serves you with a child protection application they must also tell you where and how the case will be heard.

If you do not have a lawyer, you can call Victoria Legal Aid directly on 1300 792 387. 

If you already have a child protection lawyer, try to call them first for help.

We have dedicated court staff called Court Support Coordinators to help court users understand court processes. 

Our Court Support Coordinators are available by phone on: 

• Melbourne Children's Court - 0428 133 321 
• Broadmeadows Children's Court - 0456 718 527
• Moorabbin Children's Court - 0447 236 286

Measures 

The Court has implemented the following measures to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 exposure

• Air purifiers are being used in every court room
• Masks are required by all court users unless an exemption applies
• Hand sanitisers are available for use throughout Court buildings
• Surfaces are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day and overnight
• Our staff will encourage court users to practice social distancing
• Many of our matters will continue to be heard online to reduce numbers at court.

NO person is permitted to enter Children’s Court buildings under any circumstances if they:

• have been diagnosed with Covid-19
• have any symptoms of Covid-19
• are a close contact of a person with Covid-19
• are required to be in isolation or quarantine
• have been asked to take a Covid-19 test and have not received a negative result.

Entry

Under the Court Security Act Notice dated 21 March 2022, only the following people may enter the Children’s Court of Victoria:

Anyone who is:

• in immediate need of the face-to-face services of the registry;
• admitted by direction of a registrar or a judicial officer of the Court;
• a party to a proceeding;
• a legal representative of a party to a proceeding;
• a support person for a party to a proceeding (one or two support persons per party); or
• a representative of the media.