Family violence safety notices and intervention orders

Immediate safety is our highest priority for people experiencing family violence.

Once police have enough information, there are several actions they can take to increase your immediate protection from family violence. Depending on your circumstances, this can include:

issuing a family violence safety notice
applying to the court for a family violence intervention order
changing an existing family violence intervention order
referring you to family violence or legal support services.

These actions can occur immediately at the time of family violence being reported to police, or at any time during an investigation.

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Technical terms used on this page

A respondent or other party is the person who is using family violence, or who has an intervention order made against them. They may also be referred to as the perpetrator or person using violence.
An affected family member is a person experiencing or affected by family violence. This person is sometimes known as a victim-survivor or a protected person.
Once a family violence safety notice or intervention order is served, it must be followed. It is considered served when it has been delivered to the respondent or other party by police or court staff.
A breach or contravention happens when a respondent has disobeyed a condition on a family violence safety notice or intervention order. For example, they contact you, your friends or family, or come within a certain distance of you or where you go, when the court or police order said they were not allowed to.

Family violence safety notices

Family violence safety notices are issued by police for immediate protection from family violence.

Police can issue a safety notice when protection is necessary, even if the protected person says they do not want one.

A safety notice works like a short-term intervention order. It aims to protect affected family members until an intervention order application is heard in court.

A safety notice can also protect property, pets and people supporting the affected family members.

When police issue a family violence safety notice, it will include information about when the respondent will need to go to court for a hearing.

A family violence safety notice is valid until a magistrate decides whether to issue a family violence intervention order.
At court, only the magistrate can decide whether:
- to change the safety notice into an intervention order, and
- if any changes need to be made to the conditions of the order (the rules which a respondent must follow to keep the affected family member safe).
If the magistrate issues an intervention order, it starts when it is served on the respondent. The safety notice continues to provide protection until the intervention order is served.
If the magistrate does not issue an intervention order, the safety notice ends.

Read our Easy English guide for easy-to-understand information about family violence safety notices:

Easy English Family violence safety notice

PDF 1021.82 KB

Family violence intervention orders

A family violence intervention order is a court issued order to protect an affected family member from a person using family violence.

Only the courts can decide whether to issue an intervention order.

Police can make an application on your behalf. You can also contact your local Magistrates’ Court or a legal service to apply for an order without police.

Learn more on Magistrates’ Court of Victoria.

A magistrate at court will decide when a family violence intervention order starts and ends.
The end date will usually be written on the order.
In some cases, the order will not have an end date. These are known as indefinite orders and continue until the court cancels them.
Only a magistrate can extend, change, or cancel an intervention order.
Visit Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for more information.
Victoria Police is alert for any escalation of family violence when there is both a Family Law Act Order and a family violence intervention order in place.
To avoid confusion with following two orders, police may consider making two applications at the same time to the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria:
- an application to change, discharge or suspend a Family Law Act Order
- an application to make a family violence intervention order.

How safety notices and intervention orders work

Safety notices and intervention orders have conditions (or rules) which a respondent must follow to keep the affected family member safe.

The conditions explain what the respondent can do and what they must not do.

It is a criminal offence to breach any condition of a safety notice or intervention order.

An intervention order includes helpful information about when the respondent must go to court and who can be contacted to provide support or for legal assistance.

The conditions in a safety notice or intervention order will depend on the situation.
Conditions may include directing the respondent not to:
- commit family violence against the affected family member
- go within a specified distance of the affected family member or any places they go
- damage the affected family member’s property
- contact the affected family member, including getting other people to contact the affected family member for them.
If you don't understand any of the conditions, you can ask the police, the courts or a legal service to explain them to you.
Disobeying any condition on a safety notice or intervention order is called a ‘breach’ or ‘contravention’.
It is a criminal offence to breach a safety notice or intervention order.
An affected family member cannot give permission to the respondent to disobey or breach the conditions on a safety notice or intervention order.
Only a court can change the conditions of an order.
If the respondent doesn’t follow the conditions on a safety notice or intervention order, you should tell police as soon as possible.

When safety notices and intervention orders are enforceable

Safety notices and intervention orders are enforceable after they have been served on the respondent.

In most cases, this occurs when a respondent is provided a copy of the order and is given an explanation of the conditions.

Police or court staff can serve orders on the respondent.

It can also be done by sending a copy by email or leaving it at an address if the court allows.

A copy of the safety notice or intervention order is given to the affected family member.

Report a safety notice or intervention order breach

If the respondent disobeys a safety notice or intervention order:

in an emergency or life-threatening situation where you need urgent police assistance, call Triple Zero (000)
if there is no immediate danger, contact your local police station during their opening hours.

Police will need to ask you more questions about what happened. We may ask you to make a formal statement.

After you make a report about a breach, police will ask for more details. They will ask you to tell them about when and how the respondent disobeyed the intervention order or safety notice.
It will take longer to make a formal statement than to report a safety notice or intervention order breach, but it is important to help police investigate.
Depending on where you live, you might not be able to speak to the same police officer each time. This means you might have to explain some information again, even if you have already told us previously and we have a record in our system.
Learn more about reporting family violence to police.

Attending court for a safety notice or intervention order

Your safety notice or intervention order may give you a date to attend court.

If you are an affected family member, a Family Violence Court Liaison Officer (FVCLO) may contact you before your court date.

An FVCLO is a specialist police officer who can help you understand the court process. They also help other police and the court understand what conditions will help you feel safe.

There may also be options for you to attend court remotely. This means you may not need to be in the court room, but you can be somewhere safe with court assistance to join the hearing.

There are also other legal and specialist support services that you can contact before you attend court. This includes:

When you arrive to court:
- tell the court worker at the counter:
  - you’ve arrived, and
  - if you want the help of a lawyer and other services
- ask for the police officer who coordinates with each party.
If you are the affected family member, you can ask if the court has a Family Violence Court Liaison Officer.
During the court case, the magistrate will:
- listen to legal representatives for police and the respondent
- decide if an intervention order is needed to stop further family violence
- consider what conditions are needed
- decide how long the order will last.
They may also ask the affected family member directly what has been happening.

Interstate orders

If a family violence intervention order is issued in Victoria, it applies and will be enforced by police anywhere in Australia.

Orders made in other states and territories after 25 November 2017 apply and will be enforced in Victoria.

For more information, visit National Domestic Violence Order Scheme.

Magistrates’ Court of Victoria

The Magistrates’ Court can assist you:

to apply for a family violence intervention order
to apply for a variation to an existing family violence intervention order
with advice if you need protection in another state (for example, if you live near the border).

For more information, visit the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria website.

Questions about safety notices and intervention orders

If you have any questions about a safety notice or intervention order, you can ask:

at your local police station during their opening hours
a legal service, or
a family violence support service.

Family violence Crime prevention

Updated 11 July 2025