Our services
The Women's Information Service (WIS) provides the following services:
Information and referral
We provide information about South Australian government, non-government and community services.
Family Court Support
Family Court Support
The Family Court Support (FCS) program is a free and confidential service providing trained volunteers to accompany women to the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court in Adelaide.
At the Women's Information Service we recognise that the Family Court process is often very stressful and sometimes long.
During the process you may find you spend a lot of time waiting around and if you are on your own it can be quite daunting.
Family Court Support volunteers attend a comprehensive training program and are experienced with the court processes and in accompanying women to court.
What we can do
- accompany you to the Family Court for hearings, mediation and family conferences
- provide information about the Family Court and its processes
- liaise with security staff when arriving at the court building and during court proceedings
- sit with you before and during the hearing
- offer a listening ear throughout the day at court
- keep your personal information and details confidential
- introduce you to our information and referrals about other issues including domestic and sexual violence, housing options, financial matters and health and wellbeing.
What we can't do
- give legal advice
- provide counselling
- provide transport to or from the court
- provide childcare.
How to request a Family Court Support volunteer
Important: We will try to ensure a volunteer will attend, but making a booking does not guarantee a volunteer will be available.
- Contact Women's Information Service to make a booking
- Make sure you have the following details:
- Date and time of your court appointment
- Details of which court you will be attending (Family Court or Federal Circuit Court)
- Will anyone else be attending with you?
- We will take your details and call you closer to the court date to confirm the name of the volunteer who will meet you on the day of your court appearance.
Secure room at the Family Court
In cases where there has been a history of domestic violence you have the option to to book a secure room at the court.
This gives you with a safe space to wait until your case is called, away from your ex-partner. Security guards are very supportive of this arrangement and are happy to escort you to and from the secure room as required.
To book a secure room
Phone the Court on 1300 352 000
Childcare at the Family Court
Childcare at the court is not guaranteed. You may need to make other arrangements.
Legal advice
Our Family Court Support volunteers cannot give you legal advice.
Financial Counselling
Financial Counselling
The Zahra Foundation provides financial counselling for women who have experienced domestic and family violence.
A Zahra outreach worker visits the WIS Shopfront twice a month.
To make an appointment please phone the The Zahra Foundation Office on 8352 1889.
Free internet access
Free internet access
Our shopfront offers free internet access. For more information, contact WIS.
Ombudsman Outreach
Ombudsman Outreach
If you would like to be put in touch with the outreach worker outside these times, you are welcome to contact WIS.
You can contact the Ombudsman directly to make a complaint about South Australian government department or local council.
Contact the Ombudsman using the online form
Ombudsman SA
PO Box 3651
Rundle Mall SA 5000
Phone 8226 8699 or 1800 182 150 (outside metro SA only)
Email ombudsman@ombudsman.sa.gov.au
Rural Women's Phone Link Up
Rural Women's Phone Link Up
Women in rural and remote areas can use a land line to call our toll-free number and we will transfer them to a service in SA that does not offer a toll-free number.
This is a free service from a land line. There is a charge for calls from mobile phones.
Phone 1800 188 158
Tax help (July – October)
Tax help (July – October)
Tax help is available annually at the Women's Information Service during tax time. This service is free and confidential and provided by fully trained volunteers.
Call us in July to find out if you are eligible to access this service and/or make an appointment.
WIS Facebook
WIS Facebook
Facebook terms of use – Women’s Information Service
Thank you for your interest in our Facebook page. We value your comments and contributions.
While we encourage you to join the conversation, we will not tolerate irrelevant, disrespectful, offensive, crude or hateful comments, or comments that make another person on the page feel unsafe.
We retain the right to hide, remove or edit comments that we feel are inappropriate or inconsistent with the values of the Women’s Information Service.
We retain the right to block a user from the page who acts in a way that we feel is inappropriate or inconsistent with the values of the Women’s Information Service.
Please keep all comments and discussion respectful and courteous.
We will remove posts or comments that contain any of the following:
- Comments or links that we consider to be discriminatory, defamatory, false or misleading, racist, off-topic, inflammatory, repetitive, offensive or otherwise inappropriate.
- Comments that disrespect another person on this page
- Comments that make another person on the page feel unsafe
- Comments that disrespect a person or people
- Comments that diminish or minimise women's experiences.
- Comments or links that are prejudicial towards matters that are before the courts
- Commercial content, advertisements or spam
- Anything that infringes the privacy, intellectual property or other legal rights of others
- Comments of a campaigning nature
- Comments that promote a product, service, cause or initiative
- Any other material we consider to be inappropriate.
We retain the right to block a user from the page whose posts or comments include any of the above. For your and others' safety, we hide or edit comments that share urgent, identifying or distressing information. Please note that we do monitor comments and reply to messages during business hours.
While we share content from various sources, we do not endorse all the content and views of those sources. We also value comments to our posts, but reserve the right to delete any comments that we feel are inappropriate or inconsistent with the values of the Women's Information Service.
If you have any questions relating to these guidelines, please email wis@sa.gov.au
Office for Women acknowledges and respects Aboriginal peoples as the State’s first peoples and nations and recognises Aboriginal peoples as traditional owners and occupants of the lands and waters in South Australia.
Women's Information Service
8303 0590 or 1800 188 158
Monday to Friday - 9:00am to 5:00pm
wis@sa.gov.au
Find your closest WIS Haven
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