Note: The lawyer is not required to assess eligibility under this guideline. Applications are submitted to ATLAS for assessment by Victoria Legal Aid (VLA).
Guideline
VLA may make a grant of assistance for a parent (or a person with parental responsibility for a child) for litigation relating to special medical procedures involving the child, where the following threshold tests are met:
Documentary requirements
Applications for assistance under this guideline are not administered via the simplified grants process, but are assessed by us. Lawyers submitting an application in ATLAS must ensure that evidence supporting the application is uploaded to ATLAS with the application.
Fees available
For information about fees available for a grant under this guideline, see Fee table 4.1.
Costs where an Independent children's lawyer (ICL) is appointed
In matters where an ICL is appointed in a parenting disputes matter, parties may be required to contribute to the costs of the ICL. This requirement does not apply in proceedings about special medical procedures involving a child.
Ongoing assessment that client meets the guidelines
The lawyer must inform us if, at any point during the life of the grant, they are no longer satisfied that the client meets the guideline.
Notes on this guideline
For commentary and examples on the eligibility criteria, grants assessment process, documentary requirements and fees and billing relevant to this guideline, see the Notes on guideline 7.1.
Updated