Evaluating the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria’s Expansion of the Remote Hearing Support Service
This service offers support and safety to people seeking the protection of a Family Violence Intervention Order by connecting them with specialist practitioners prior to, during and following the hearing, as well as offering the opportunity to participate in the hearing from a remote location, rather than attending court in person.
In 2022 the CIJ was commissioned to conduct an evaluation of the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria’s Remote Hearing Support Service. This service offers support and safety to people seeking the protection of a Family Violence Intervention Order by connecting them with specialist practitioners prior to, during and following the hearing, as well as offering the opportunity to participate in the hearing from a remote location, rather than attending court in person.
The CIJ worked with Clear Horizon to conduct an initial phase of the evaluation in 2022, gaining an understanding of the RHSS’s implementation and identifying practical opportunities to improve its operation. In 2023 the CIJ then conducted a further phase of the evaluation, conducting research with personnel working in connection with the RHSS across five specific sites, as well as conducting interviews and surveys with Affected Family Members (AFMs) who had been supported by the service.
The evaluation found that the RHSS was highly valued by all stakeholders and AFMs contributing to the research and that, in particular, the specialist support and practical information provided by the RHSS practitioners was considered by AFMs to be just as vital as the opportunity to appear remotely. In particular, it found that the RHSS is especially valuable for AFMs with children, for AFMs at especially high risk, and for AFMs with communication support needs. Informed by findings from the evaluation, the RHSS will continue to be resourced into the future and the CIJ wishes it every success as it seeks to provide further support to victim-survivors of family violence across Victoria.