Children's Court of Victoria

What Children's Court of Victoria does

The Children's Court of Victoria is a specialist court established under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 and administered by Court Services Victoria as part of the Victorian court system. It has statutory jurisdiction over criminal, child protection, and intervention order matters involving children and young people (aged 10-17 for criminal matters; under 17 for protection matters) in the State of Victoria. The court operates through two divisions — a Family Division and a Criminal Division — and maintains physical registries across metropolitan Melbourne (Melbourne, Broadmeadows, Moorabbin, Dandenong, Wyndham) and regional Victoria (Ballarat, Warrnambool, Geelong, Bendigo, Shepparton, among others).

The court's core service offering comprises several specialist programs layered on top of its judicial functions. These include the Children's Koori Court (a culturally-informed sentencing court with Elders and Respected Persons, now operating at 12 locations), the Family Drug Treatment Court (a judicially monitored 12-month therapeutic program established in 2014), the Children's Court Youth Diversion Service (a statewide pre-plea diversion program commenced in 2017), the Education Justice Initiative (reconnecting young people with education), and the Marram-Ngala Ganbu family hearing day. Its principal technology asset is the new Case Management System (CMS) Portal, launched on 30 June 2026 for the criminal jurisdiction, which provides electronic case initiation, document filing, digitised records, downloadable court orders, and access to court diary and listings for legal practitioners. Support services include Court Support Coordinators, Court Network volunteers, the Mental Health Advice and Response Service (delivered in partnership with Orygen Youth Health), interpreter services (TIS), and the National Relay Service.

The Children's Court of Victoria is a government institution operating under the State of Victoria; it does not generate commercial revenue and provides its services free of charge to court users. It is funded through the Victorian Government budget and operates without equity, debt, or external ownership structures. Its customers are statutorily-defined cohorts (children and young people, their families, and legal professionals interacting with the court) rather than commercial buyers. Its competitive position is therefore defined not by market dynamics but by its statutory monopoly jurisdiction and the depth of its specialist programs and multi-disciplinary support ecosystem.

Name

Children's Court of Victoria

Legal name

Children's Court of Victoria

Website

https://childrenscourt.vic.gov.au

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Children's Court of Victoria is a specialist state court operating Family and Criminal Divisions with jurisdiction over criminal, child protection, and intervention order matters involving children and young people in the State of Victoria, Australia, delivering services free of charge through multiple locations and programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Court Services

NAICS

Courts (92211), Courts (922110), Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150), Child and Youth Services (62411)

akta.pro primary industry

Judicial Courts & Court Administration (BPAIAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Problem-Solving Courts (Drug, Mental Health, Veterans, Family) (BPAIAFAG), Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention) (BPAIAFAF), State/Provincial Courts & Judicial Administration (BPAIABAE), Court Services & Operations (Clerks, Records, Jury, Interpreters) (BPAIAFAH)

Keywords

• Juvenile court services
• Child protection proceedings
• Youth diversion programs
• Family drug treatment court
• Specialist court jurisdiction

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Children's Court of Victoria is a specialist state court with a Family Division and Criminal Division that adjudicates matters involving children and young people, including criminal cases, child protection proceedings, and family violence/personal safety intervention orders. It delivers therapeutic, diversionary, and culturally-specific programs (including the Children's Koori Court, Family Drug Treatment Court, Youth Diversion Service, and Education Justice Initiative) and provides digital case management through the CMS Portal. Court services are provided free of charge to court users.

Product overview

The Children's Court of Victoria is a specialist court with a Family Division and Criminal Division. It operates multiple programs including the CMS Portal for digital case management, the Children's Court Youth Diversion Service for pre-plea diversion, the Children's Koori Court for culturally-specific sentencing, the Family Drug Treatment Court for therapeutic intervention, the Education Justice Initiative for educational support, and various support services including Court Network, Mental Health Advice and Response Service, and Court Support Coordinators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CMS Portal (Case Management System) Digital case management platform providing electronic case initiation, document filing, digitised case records, downloadable court orders, automated notifications, and access to court listings for legal practitioners and agencies involved in criminal and child protection proceedings.
• Children's Court Youth Diversion Service (CCYD) A pre-plea diversion program for young people appearing before the criminal division, providing an opportunity to complete a diversion plan with activities intended to reduce reoffending and have charges discharged upon successful completion.
• Children's Koori Court A specialist sentencing court for young Koori people who have been found guilty of criminal offences, involving Elders and Respected Persons in the court process to address over-representation and reduce offending.
• Family Drug Treatment Court (FDTC) A judicially monitored 12-month therapeutic program for parents whose children were removed due to substance misuse, using intensive case coordination and holistic intervention to achieve family reunification.
• Education Justice Initiative (EJI) A Victorian Government program that reconnects young people appearing before the Criminal Division with supported educational pathways suited to their needs and interests.
• Court Network A voluntary court support service operating throughout Victoria with volunteers assigned to Melbourne Children's Court daily, providing personal support, information and referral services to court users.
• Mental Health Advice and Response Service (MHARS) A specialist mental health service delivered by Orygen Youth Health at Melbourne Children's Court, providing assessments for young people presenting with mental health concerns and advising the Court.
• Court Support Coordinators Provides support and procedural information to court users at Melbourne, Broadmeadows, Moorabbin and Dandenong Children's Courts through trauma-informed and strength-based practice.
• Children's Court Clinic A specialist clinical service within the Children's Court that provides assessments and reports to the Court to assist judicial decision-making in child protection and family division matters.

Quantifiable outcome

• FDTC participants are 1.6 to 2.5 times more likely to achieve reunification than mainstream court participants
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Orygen Youth HealthcoreTechnology or Integration
• Court NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Department of Education and Training (DET)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Judicial Commission of VictoriacoreOthers
• Victoria Legal AidcoreOthers
• YouthlawcoreOthers
• Victorian Aboriginal Legal ServicecoreOthers
• Salvation ArmyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS)coreTechnology or Integration
• National Relay Service (NRS)coreTechnology or Integration

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Victoria Legal Aid: State legal aid provider that supplies duty lawyers and representation in the Children's Court. Peer for partner-delivered legal services, juvenile justice practice, and court-user support models.
• Magistrates' Court of Victoria: General-jurisdiction Victorian court that hears summary criminal, civil, and family violence matters. Peer for operational structure, registry practices, and shared digital infrastructure across the Victorian court system.
• Court Services Victoria: Statutory body that provides administrative and technological support to all Victorian courts, including the Children's Court. Parent entity and peer for shared CMS, registry, and multi-disciplinary workforce strategy.
• County Court of Victoria: Sister Victorian court under Court Services Victoria that handles more serious criminal and civil matters. Peer for institutional governance, funding flows, and digital case management platform (Courtlink -> CMS) used by the Children's Court.
• Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2): Federal court handling complex family law matters including parenting orders and child-related disputes. Peer for child-focused family jurisdiction and case management practices that intersect with the Children's Court family division.
• Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS): Aboriginal-controlled legal service providing representation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victorian courts, including the Children's Koori Court. Peer for culturally-specific legal support and Koori Court program delivery.

Emerging players

• Orygen Youth Health: Specialist youth mental health organisation that delivers the Mental Health Advice and Response Service (MHARS) at Melbourne Children's Court. Peer for embedded court-based therapeutic and mental health support programs targeting young people.

Direct peers

• Children's Court of New South Wales: NSW's specialist children's court dealing with criminal matters involving children and care and protection applications. Directly comparable specialist jurisdiction covering Children's Court criminal, care, and adoption matters across NSW.
• Children's Court of Queensland: Queensland's specialist court for children and young people handling child protection and youth justice matters. Operates an equivalent dual-division model (Childrens Court and Youth Justice) under the Child Protection Act 1999 and Youth Justice Act 1992.

Regional players

• Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Victoria): Victorian state agency responsible for child protection case management and out-of-home care. Peer for the child protection pipeline that feeds the Children's Court Family Division and drives reunification outcomes through FDTC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/childrens-court

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children's Court of Victoria