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Our new remand support service pilot begins operations

Published:
Wednesday, 9 July 2025 at 10:28 am
Graphic image depicting a hand reaching to pull up another hand. Text reads Remand Support Service

The pilot of our new and innovative Remand Support Service (RSS) at the Melbourne Custody Centre has now been launched.

Working closely alongside lawyers on remand duties, the RSS supports newly remanded people with their immediate non-legal needs.

When someone is first taken into custody after being arrested, remand lawyers are usually their first contact with the outside world. This means that in addition to legal advice, the lawyer often also provides or organises other practical support such as medical treatment, contacting friends, family, or employers, arranging for children to be collected from school and linking them to other support services.

Under the new RSS, a small team of remand support practitioners with experience supporting people in the justice system will help address these non-legal needs. The RSS team will work in close collaboration with lawyers to support and facilitate clients’ participation in the legal process.

How the service pilot operates

During the first phase of the pilot, the service is available to people facing first remand who are eligible for Victoria Legal Aid or Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service duty lawyer services at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. This includes the after-hours Bail and Remand Court, where about 75 per cent of first remand duty lawyer services are delivered. Clients who want support are referred to the RSS by duty lawyer services from Victoria Legal Aid and Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.

The service is different from other bail support services such as the Court Integrated Services Program and Navigation and Triage as it focuses on addressing the barriers for people engaging in their legal process on first remand.

The initial phase of the RSS pilot runs until 27 July on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays (day and night).

The service will be refined based on insights gathered from lawyers, clients and our newly established Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP). Opportunities to expand the service will be explored over the course of the pilot.

More information

The service was established as a result of the independent review of our remand services by the Centre for Innovative Justice at RMIT. The review recommended we establish a service model that responds to the legal and non-legal needs of people experiencing remand.

The Victorian Legal Services Board funded this two-year pilot.

For more information about the remand support service, please email RSS@vla.vic.gov.au

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