Established in Victoria by VLA in May 2017 with funding from the Commonwealth Government, the Family Advocacy and Support Service (FASS) is an integrated service where duty lawyers and family violence support workers provide holistic support to families affected by family violence in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA).

In Victoria, FASS currently operates in the Melbourne and Dandenong FCFCOA registries.

The current FASS service delivery model in Victoria provides two FASS duty lawyers and two family violence support workers at each registry, as well as an Information Referral Officer (IRO) staffed by VLA’s Legal Help service to undertake triage, intake and assessment for each client to determine their eligibility for FASS services and refer them to legal and non-legal support services. From 1 July 2022, mental health support will be added to the model.

In 2021, funding was announced by the Commonwealth Government to expand FASS services from 1 July 2022-30 June 2025 to FCFCOA circuit locations at Warrnambool, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura and Morwell.

VLA is seeking expressions of interest from organisations that provide mental health and counselling services to assist FASS clients with mental health triage, short-term support and referrals for a duration of three years (1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025), in the FCFCOA at the:

1. Permanent registries at Melbourne and Dandenong on a full-time basis; and
2. FCFCOA circuit locations during circuit sittings (as determined by the FCFCOA from time to time)