Adoption legislation, standards and resources

Justice system
Justice system
- Laws and regulation
  Laws and regulation
  
  How laws are made and regulated, and which legislative issues the department is currently addressing
- Courts and tribunals
  Courts and tribunals
  
  Interpreting the law, resolving disputes and imposing penalties on those who have broken the law
- Dispute resolution (External link)
  Dispute resolution (External link)
  
  Advice and mediation services as alternatives to court in resolving disputes
- Fines and penalties
  Fines and penalties
  
  Systems and processes for infringements (fines), penalties and values, fine enforcement and asset confiscation
- Corrections, prisons and parole (External link)
  Corrections, prisons and parole (External link)
  
  The correctional process, from community corrections to prison, parole and release
- Victims of crime (External link)
  Victims of crime (External link)
  
  Information, advice and support for victims of violent crime
- Legal assistance
  Legal assistance
  
  Find a lawyer or organisation to assist you with legal matters
- Sheriffs in Victoria
  Sheriffs in Victoria
  
  Learn about the role of sheriff's officers, who are responsible for enforcing warrants and orders issued by all Victorian courts
- Policing (External link)
  Policing (External link)
  
  Preventing, investigating and solving crime
- Youth justice
  Youth justice
  
  Youth justice supervises and provides programs for young people in the criminal justice system
Top tasks
Safer communities
Safer communities
- Emergencies
  Emergencies
  
  Planning, managing and delivering Victoria’s emergency services
- Crime prevention
  Crime prevention
  
  Crime prevention campaigns, initiatives, programs and grants
- Road safety
  Road safety
  
  Victoria's road safety strategy and road safety camera program
- Gambling
  Gambling
  
  Gambling policy, regulation, licensing, education and research, and support for problem gambling
- Water safety (External link)
  Water safety (External link)
  
  Play it safe at the beach, at the river, by the pool and while boating and fishing
- Protecting children and families
  Protecting children and families
  
  Sustaining and improving outcomes for vulnerable children and their families
- Community Safety Building Authority
  Community Safety Building Authority
  
  The Community Safety Building Authority (CSBA) delivers buildings and facilities needed to keep communities safe
Top tasks
Licences and certificates
Licences and certificates
- Births, deaths and marriages (External link)
  Births, deaths and marriages (External link)
  
  Certificates and registries for births, deaths and relationships, and family history resources
- Working with children (External link)
  Working with children (External link)
  
  Checks for people in paid or voluntary child-related work
- Business licensing
  Business licensing
  
  Licensing, registration and regulation of businesses and industries in Victoria.
- Non-business
  Non-business
  
  Non-business licences, certificates and registers, including birth certificates and Working with Children Checks
Top tasks
Your rights
Your rights
- Consumer (External link)
  Consumer (External link)
  
  Victoria’s consumer affairs regulator helps Victorian consumers and businesses to be informed and responsible
- Privacy
  Privacy
  
  Privacy law regulates how personal information is obtained, used and disposed of.
- Equal opportunity and human rights (External link)
  Equal opportunity and human rights (External link)
  
  Equal opportunity, sexual harassment, racial and religious vilification, and related dispute resolution
- Aboriginal Justice Agreement (External link)
  Aboriginal Justice Agreement (External link)
  
  The Aboriginal Justice Agreement is a partnership between the Victorian Aboriginal community and the Victorian Government. In 2018 its fourth phase - Burra Lotjpa Dunguludja - was launched
- Freedom of information
  Freedom of information
  
  How to request access to documents held by the department's business units
- Native title
  Native title
  
  History and legislation behind the recognition and protection of native title in Victoria
- Adoption
  Adoption
  
  Adoption permanently transfers the parental rights and responsibilities of natural parents over to adoptive parents
Top tasks

A State of Emergency has been declared in Victoria due to the serious risk to public health posed by coronavirus (COVID-19). For more information visit the DHHS website (External link).

For information on our services during this time, please visit our Service locations page.