You can contact the Civil and Human Rights Practice at VALS if you need help with any of the legal issues below. We can provide ongoing casework assistance, advice or referrals in these areas.
VALS mental health practice is a statewide service and includes dedicated mental health lawyers and a social and emotional wellbeing support officer. Our lawyers represent people at the Mental Health Tribunal who are subject to compulsory treatment orders in hospital or in the community.
Our practice is the First Nations stream of the Mental Health Legal Rights Service (“MHLRS”), which is a partnership with Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) and the Mental Health Legal Centre (MHLC). The service model was co-designed by people with lived experience of compulsory treatment and aims to be trauma informed, accessible and culturally safe.
Our practice empowers clients to break the cycle of compulsory treatment, address their broader legal needs and ensure they are linked in with appropriate supports to recover and heal in order to live with dignity, autonomy
and self-determination.
Contact VALS Mental Health Team – (03) 9418 5920
You can also call the Mental Health Legal Rights Service Helpline – 1800 849 806
Download our Know Your Rights Mental Health Law Brochure Front Page
Download our Know Your Rights Mental Health Law Brochure Back Page
Community members should always feel free to call the VALS Civil and Human Rights practice team on 03 9418 5999 for a yarn about their legal issue. If its not something we can assist with, we will do our best to link you with someone who can.
Community members should always feel free to call the VALS Civil and Human Rights team on 03 9418 5999 for a yarn about their legal issue. If its not something we can assist with, we will do our best to link you with someone who can.
You can use the general contact form below and someone from our team will reach out. If you matter is urgent, please call 1800 064 865.
Details about our office locations can be found here on our Contact page.
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