New Protection Order Information at Service packs being introduced
Published on 8 July 2020
New Protection Order 'Information at Service' packs for respondents and protected people are being rolled out across Aotearoa this week.
Protection Orders are court orders that place conditions on a person who has, or is alleged to have, used violence. The conditions can include not having contact with a person, not using violence, or a requirement to attend a non-violence course.
To support the people involved to better understand Protection Orders, there are two ‘Information at Service’ packs – one for the respondent and one for the protected person (applicant).
The Ministry of Justice developed the new packs in response to consistent feedback that:
- respondents don’t always understand the conditions of a Protection Order, which can result in breaches of the Order
- protected people aren't always aware of how a Protection Order can help keep them safe.
The Ministry collaborated with service providers, people with lived experience, Police and court staff from various regions on pack design and development. The rollout follows successful testing of the packs, which began in Dunedin in August 2019 and was later extended to Southland and Wellington city. The packs have already received positive feedback from court registry staff, Police and providers.
The packs are personalised, with an easy to understand information cover sheet that includes visual cues and a process map showing next steps. The packs also include more detailed information in the form of a plain language guide, ‘Understanding Your Protection Order’.
The respondent information pack will accompany the Protection Order when it's served and includes details of any programmes they must attend under the Order. The protected person information pack will be sent to the person who applied for the Protection Order when the Order is issued.
Versions of the Protection Order information packs tailored specifically for proceedings in the Criminal Court will be launched later this month.
This initiative forms part of our ongoing work to address family violence and sexual violence.
Generic versions of the packs are available on the Ministry of Justice website:
Protection Order Information at Service pack (respondents) [PDF, 548 KB]
Protection Order Information at Service pack (applicants) [PDF, 560 KB]