ACT Magistrates Court

Magistrates Courts

CRS work collaboratively with the ACT Magistrates Court, offering mediation services for matters pertaining to:

• Personal Protection Orders (PPO)
• Family Violence Orders (FVO)
• Workplace Protection Orders (WPO)

CRS provide this service free of charge to the Canberra community in instances where the matter has been referred by the Court. This service provides parties with an opportunity to discuss and negotiate outcomes between themselves, instead of the outcome being determined in a final hearing by a Magistrate. The mediation process operates outside the court system, is not a legal forum and is informal and non-adversarial. This allows for everyone involved to have an active voice relating to the issue, work together to resolve the issue and reduce the likelihood of the issue arising again.

The service supports those who often require an ongoing relationship when the matter is over. It is usually conducted in a shuttle mode, meaning parties have staggered arrival and leaving times and are in separate rooms while the mediator facilitates going back and forth between parties. This form of mediation allows the space to negotiate how the relationship will function moving forward and discuss any potential outcomes for the orders itself, which often results in parties not having to return to court, file evidence or attend a final hearing.

The outcomes of this service include:

• A therapeutic response to a statutory service
• Reduce court processes and time spent in court
• Where appropriate, divert people away from the judicial system
• Reduce legal costs
• Autonomy and involvement in decision-making process for parties
• Provide parties with control over shared agreements