Protocol for the provision of Legal Assistance in Family Relationship Centres

This protocol assists Family Relationship Centres (FRCs) and practising legal professionals to provide of legal information and advice to FRC clients. It should be adopted by individuals involved in providing legal assistance in FRCs, and is in addition to the standard professional duties and obligations required of legal professionals, Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) practitioners, and other FRC staff.

The protocol was updated in 2017 to enable legal practitioners to continue to act for a client in litigation in circumstances were FDR has not been successful.

In 2019, further updates reflected additional funding for FRCs on an ongoing basis, from 1 July 2019, to provide mediation services to families to help them reach agreement on dividing their property after separation.