Personal Safety and Family Violence Intervention Order Support Services
​Whether you are a respondent or applicant to an intervention order (IVO) matter, there are support services available throughout Victoria that you can access. ​At Rebecca Burdon Legal & Consulting, we are committed to helping you find the right organisation for your circumstances. That is why we have taken the time to put together a list of personal safety intervention order (PSIO) and family violence intervention order (FVIO) support services below.
Whatever you may be going through, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone, and support is available if or when you need it.
FVIO Support Services
Family violence may occur between people in a family, domestic or intimate relationship, or former intimate relationship. If one family member is using threatening, coercive, dominating or abusive behaviour against another family member, this is classed as family violence. In these circumstances, a family violence intervention order (FVIO) can be made to protect the affected family member (AFM) from further violence or threats.
If you are experiencing this behaviour or you have applied for an FVIO, there are a number of AFM support services that can give you the help you need.
Men'sLine
MensLine Australia provides a free professional telephone and online support service for men with or needing support related to family violence and relationship issues.
Phone: 130078 9978 (Support is available 24/7)
WIRE
WIRE provides free support, information, and referral services for women, non-binary, and gender-diverse people from all backgrounds and experiences. They offer information seminars, individual support sessions, and online resources all throughout Victoria to help those facing family violence, financial abuse, and more.
Phone: 1300 134 130 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)
VACCA
The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) provides a wide range of support services to help Aboriginal men, women, adolescents, and children who are experiencing or are at risk of using family violence. These support services include counselling, outreach services, support packages, short-term crisis accommodation, and more.
Phone: (03) 9287 8800 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)
Anglicare Victoria
Anglicare Victoria works to prevent harm and protect and empower children, young people, and families. They offer a number of different support services throughout Victoria. These include family violence support groups and programs for parents and children experiencing abuse, behavioural change programs for men who want to stop their problematic behaviours, and more.
Phone: 1800 809 722 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)
Men’s Referral Service
Operated by the advocacy group No to Violence, this service helps men who use violence or are concerned about their actions to change their behaviour. The Men’s Referral Service is a 24-hour support line that can be accessed anonymously both online and over the phone. Support workers can chat with men to provide them with short-term tactics and connect them with behaviour change programs, individual and group support sessions, and counselling services.
Phone: 1300 766 491 (8am to 9pm, Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday)
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Personal Safety Intervention Order (PSIO) Program
In Personal Safety Intervention Order (PSIO) matters, you may want to consider Alternate Dispute Resolution Services (ADRS). The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV) and the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria run a diversionary program together to help people with intervention order cases that do not involve family members.
This program is called the Personal Safety Intervention Order (PSIO) Program and can be accessed through most suburban and regional Magistrates’ Courts. Its main goal is to give both the applicant and the respondent a chance to try and find a resolution through mediation instead of attending a court hearing. If a case is suitable, this program can be accessed in one of two ways:
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when the case goes to court, the magistrate or, in some cases, the court registrar will refer both parties to the Dispute Assessment Officer (DAO) to assess whether the mediation program is a suitable option;
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interested eligible parties can get in touch with the DSCV directly to enquire about the program before their IVO matter goes to court.
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In many cases, if a matter is deemed to be suitable for mediation, it will be resolved by the DAO by referring the matter to the DSCV. The DSCV will then organise a date for mediation that works for both parties. If a resolution cannot be found through mediation, a court hearing will then be organised at a later date to resolve the matter in court.
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Additional Support Services
If your IVO matter concerns something different, help is available for you, too. As well as specialised IVO programs and family violence support services, there are a number of organisations out there that can provide additional support for people experiencing other forms of abuse.
Sexual Assault Crisis Line
The Sexual Assault Crisis Line provides 24/7 crisis counselling services across Victoria for people who have experienced any form of sexual assault at any point in their lives. The service is completely confidential and exists to help survivors of sexual assault access the care, information, and support they need.
Phone: 1800 806 292 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
1800RESPECT
1800RESPECT is a free national support service for people who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing any form of violence or abuse. This service is available 24/7 and can provide people with information, referrals, and counselling services to support them through their individual circumstances.
Phone: 1800 737 732 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Lifeline
Lifeline provides confidential 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services to Australians who are emotionally distressed, feeling overwhelmed, or having difficulty staying safe. Their helpline connects people with a trained Lifeline crisis supporter who can provide one-on-one support and help people find additional services to ensure they receive the ongoing assistance they need.
Phone: 13 11 14 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)