Family and Domestic Violence Support Services
Sexual Assault Crisis Line (1800 806 292) – confidential telephone crisis counselling service for people who have experienced both past and recent sexual assault.
1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) – national domestic family and sexual violence counselling service.
St Kilda Crisis Contact Centre (1800 627 727) – offers support, information and referrals for people who need assistance with housing, family violence, mental health, alcohol and drug issues.
Support for Women, Parents and Families
WIRE (Women’s Information & Referral Exchange) (1300 134 130) – provide information, support and referral for women, non-binary and gender diverse people, in a range of matters including family violence, financial abuse and housing.
PANDA (Post & Antenatal Depression Association) (1300 726 306) – supports the mental health and wellbeing of expecting, new and growing families.
Maternal and Child Health Line (13 22 29) – MCH nurse available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for families with children, from birth to school age, to speak to.
Parentline Victoria (13 22 89) – a phone service for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old. Offers confidential and anonymous counselling and support on parenting issues.
The Missed Foundation – raises awareness on the issue of long-term missing people, provides emotional and practical assistance to those experiencing ambiguous loss, and advocates for greater understanding from legal decision-makers of the rights, hopes and needs of effected families and friends.
Child Protection
After-hours Child Protection Emergency Service (13 12 78) – a state-wide after-hours emergency service for reports and concerns for existing child protection clients, who are at immediate risk and require urgent assistance.
Mental Health Support Services
Lifeline Australia (13 11 14) – 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention service.
SuicideLine Victoria (1300 651 251) – 24/7 telehealth service that offers free professional phone and counselling for Victorians.
Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467) – 24/7 phone and online counselling to people affected by suicide.
MensLine Australia (1300 78 99 78) – free 24/7 telephone counselling support for men with concerns about mental health, anger management, family violence, addiction, relationships, stress and wellbeing.
Griefline (1300 845 745) – provides telephone support, connections with an online community, and resources to individuals experiencing grief.
Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) – provides online and phone counselling, sessions with mental health coaches, referrals to mental health professionals and connections with an online peer support community.
OCD and Anxiety Helpline (1300 269 438) – provides support, information and referrals to people with anxiety disorders and their families, carers, and mental health care providers.
Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) – phone counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.
Headspace (1800 650 890)
Gambler’s helpline (1800 858 858)
Medical Support Services
DirectLine (1800 888 236) – confidential alcohol and drug counselling and referral.
Poisons Information Line (131 126) – 24/7 telephone assessment and advice on first aid for poisoning, with or without referral to a doctor or hospital.
Nurse on Call (1300 60 60 24) – free health advice, 24 hours a day.
Medicine Line (1300 633 424) – telephone service providing consumers with information on prescription, over the counter and natural medicines.
Missing Persons
A Practical Guide to Searching for a Missing Person
The Missed Foundation - General
Caveats by Mark McKillop (PDF 389 KB)
The facts on de facto (PDF 1 MB)
Briefcase – Tips for briefing counsel (PDF 150 KB)
Financial matters
Stepping in – the full court speaks on Stanford (PDF 97 KB)
Checklist for Clients in Caring Relationships (PDF 245 KB)
Men in Tight Financial Situations, Law Institute Journal (PDF 3 MB)
To go or stay – global woes take a toll on couples (PDF 506 KB)
Family Law: Implications in Commercial Law (PDF 286 KB)
Binding Financial Agreements and third party creditors (PDF 510 KB)
Quarantining Family Wealth (PDF 114 KB)
Children's matters
Child support and parenting arrangements
Better Place Australia
Parenting Co-ordination – A new option for high conflict families (PDF 1 MB)
Surrogacy – The Alternative Options Available to Victorian Residents to Start a Family (PDF 82 KB)
Surrogacy – The Patchwork Legal Landscape (PDF 169 KB)
The Shared Parenting Laws – Is there a case for reform? (PDF 337 KB)
New law pain for divorced fathers (PDF 528 KB)
Practice and Procedure, “Standard format for Affidavits for Interim residence, contact and specific issue orders” (PDF 2 MB)
Sharing the new Parental Responsibility (PDF 623 KB)
Shared Parental Responsibility & Child Support (PDF 432 KB)
Inter-country adoption
Presentation on “Australia’s Approach to Inter-country adoption” (PDF 527 KB)
Family violence
Family Violence & Family Law: Where to now (PDF 790 KB)
Transcript – Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2011 (PDF 53 KB)
Other childrens matters
New Frontiers (Winner of Law Institute of Victoria Legal Awards 2005 highly commended Rogers Legal Writing Award in recognition of outstanding contribution to the Law Institute Journal presented 10 November 2005) (PDF 551 KB)
Preventing Self Harm in Teens: a Guide to Appropriate Intervention
International child abduction (Hague Convention)
Life After DP and JLM (PDF 627 KB)
The Family Law Reform Act and the Hague Convention (PDF 259 KB)
De facto Rights of Custody Under The Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (PDF 85 KB)
Update on Hague Convention (PDF 524 KB)
Australia Ratifies the Hague Child Protection Convention 1996 on 29 April 2003 (PDF 88 KB)
Abducted children to stay (PDF 50 KB)
Family Court Speads Cloak of Protection (PDF 3 MB)
LGBTIQA+ family law matters
LGBTIQA+ property matters
Changes to de facto relationship law – A move towards equal treatment (PDF 19 KB)
The Relationships Act 2008 (Vic) (PDF 234 KB)
LGBTIQA+ family violence
The Family Violence Protection Act 2008, How does this impact on the GLBTI community? (PDF 882 KB)
LGBTIQA+ children's matters
The mainstreaming of same sex relationships – Becoming parents (PDF 114 KB)
The breakdown of same sex relationships: Decisions concerning parenting (PDF 309 KB)
Outside the nuclear family: Gay Dads and surrogacy (PDF 246 KB)
Surrogacy: The emerging alternative to starting a family (PDF 317 KB)
My child calls me a parent, why doesn’t the law? (PDF 131 KB)
National Gay Dads Conference 2010 (PPS 1 MB)
Parental responsibility in same sex relationships, The rights of both biological and non-biological parents in gay and lesbian relationships (PDF 698 KB)
The Assisted Reproductive Act 2010, What does this mean for the GLBTI community?” (PDF 277 KB)
Family Court of Australia and Contemporary trends in Australian Society (PDF 121 KB)
Other childrens matters
Preventing Self Harm in Teens: a Guide to Appropriate Intervention
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