Visits for non-biological parents

It may be more difficult for non-biological parents to access special options and programs for visits from their children. Examples where this may be the case are non-birthing parents, step-parents, or other people who have raised or been a primary carer for a child.

If you are asked to prove you are the parent of a child, there are supporting documents you can provide to assist:

• Your child’s birth certificate (if your name is on it)
• A signed letter or statutory declaration from the child’s biological parent or another family member
• Support letter from services who have been involved, like Child Protection, VACCA, schools, a doctor or other community services
• Centrelink records to show you have been receiving family benefit payments
• Proof that you resided with the biological parent and/or child before going into prison

What can I do if the prison is refusing to recognise me as a parent?

If you are having a hard time getting recognition that you are a parent, you could complain to the General Manager. If you don’t get a response, aren’t happy with the response you got, or the General Manager is the person refusing to recognise you as parent, you can complain to the Victorian Ombudsman.

If you are a non-birthing parent in a same-sex relationship, refusal to recognise you as a parent might be discrimination. In this case, you could make a complaint to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC).

For more information on how to make a complaint to your prison, see the Making a complaint section on the home page. It has information about:

• Preparing for a complaint
• Making an internal complaint (to someone at your prison)
• Making a complaint to Corrections Victoria
• Making a complaint to external complaint bodies (like the Victorian Ombudsman and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission)

Getting help from a lawyer

A lawyer might be able to help if you are having a hard time getting the prison to recognise you as a parent.

For more information on getting help from a lawyer, click here.

If you are LGBTQIA+, you can get free legal help from Q+Law. You can contact Q+Law by:

• Phone call
• Writing a letter
• Email

Phone call

• (03) 9968 1002
• Calls to this number are not free of charge. You will need to add Q+Law to your phone list.

Writing a letter

Q+Law
Level 3, Victorian Pride Centre
79 – 81 Fitzroy Street
St Kilda VIC 3182

Email

• qlawadmin@fls.org.au