As a legal professional you may wish to refer your clients to Relationships Australia services, or provide information to your clients to improve their relationship skills or resolve issues related to separation and divorce.
This page will help you to find the services suitable for your clients' needs.
Counselling is available for couples, individuals and families with children and adolescents who want to improve their relationships, or need support with relationship difficulties.
For appointments call 1300 364 277
For more information visit the Counselling page.
We provide courses and groups for individuals and couples run by trained facilitators. The courses are focused on parenting, relationship skills, coping with separation and anger management among others. For more information visit Courses for You.
A Children’s Contact Service assists separated parents who are having difficulty establishing and maintaining non-conflictual contact arrangements. Child contact staff can help negotiate contact arrangements, facilitate change over or supervise visits in the Centre to enable children to be transferred smoothly from one parent to the other at contact times. For more information visit Children's Contact Services.
Clients whose relationships have ended and who need help to resolve matters regarding the care of children, child support and property settlement can contact Relationships Australia Mediation Service (RAMS) on (02) 88748010. For more information visit Relationships Australia Mediation Service.
Family Relationship Centres (FRC) provide all families (whether together or separated) with access to information and services addressing family relationship issues, ranging from building better relationships to dispute resolution. The Centres are staffed by independent, professionally qualified staff offering confidential and impartial services in a safe and supportive environment. Where families separate, the Centres provide information, advice, referrals and mediated dispute resolution (other than property settlement) to help them reach agreement on parenting arrangements without going to court. For more information visit Family Relationship Centres.
The Family Law Act requires that people make a genuine effort to resolve their parenting disputes by family dispute resolution (FDR) before taking a parenting matter to court. If a dispute can not be resolved using FDR, your client can obtain a S 60I Certificate from a registered family dispute resolution practitioner confirming that an attempt at FDR was made. The requirement for FDR includes new applications and applications seeking changes to an existing parenting order.
It is not the role of the family dispute resolution practitioner (FDRP) to give people legal advice unless the FDRP is a lawyer. Family Relationship Centre clients will be advised to seek legal advice prior to starting or attending the Family Dispute Resolution process.
A family dispute practitioner must report child abuse, or anything said that indicates a child is at risk of abuse to the relevant authorities - this may be used as evidence in certain circumstances.
Your clients need not attend a Family Relationship Centre or a family dispute resolution practitioner when:
- They are applying for consent orders
- They are responding to a lodged Family Court application
- The matter is urgent
- The court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe that:
- There has been family violence or child abuse by a party
- There is a risk of violence by a party, or
- There is a risk of child abuse if there were to be a delay.
- Where a party is unable to participate effectively (for example, they are too far from a family dispute resolution provider or because of an incapacity of some kind), or
- Where a person has contravened and shown a serious disregard for a court order made in the last 12 months.
After contacting a Family Relationship Centre your client will be registered in the centre records and asked to provide the contact details of their partner. Your client will be given an appointment to attend a meeting with a Family Advisor - interviews can take up to 1 ½ hours.
A letter will be sent to the second parent informing them of the request for assistance and asking them to contact the Family Relationship Centre, register and make an appointment with a Family Advisor.
Both parents are usually required to attend separate "Kids in Focus" group sessions (a 2 1/2 hour psycho-educational seminar aimed to encourage help-seeking behaviour and improved focus on the children).
Each parent then attends a Pre- Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) session (an interview to check parenting goals and assess any changes in the level of conflict) to help prepare for the FDR.
During this entire process the professionals involved are conducting screening and assessment to ensure the parents are directed to the most effective FDR for them. If it is decided that the FRC mediation model is suitable then both parties attend a joint FDR session which is free and can take up to three hours.
For more information visit Family Relationship Centres on this website, or go to Family Relationships Online to find the nearest Family Relationship Centre for your client.
To contact the Family Relationship Advice Line call 1800 050 321.
For more information about Relationships Australia (NSW) services you can contact your nearest office on 1300 364 277.