The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) provides children and young people who have experienced a crime with money to help them recover from violence and harm. This is known as financial assistance.
This assistance can be used for the costs of:
- counselling
- medical expenses
- loss of earnings (if you had a job and were unable to work after the violence occurred)
- other expenses that might help you.
You can apply for assistance if you have experienced a violent act in Victoria. A violent act is when someone hurts another person. This can include hitting, fighting or using weapons.
You can also ask for a distress payment. This is when money is given to someone after a person they are close to passes away because of a violent act.
Apply by yourself
In most cases, children and young people will have a trusted adult help them with their application.
However, there may be times when there are reasons why you might want to apply on your own.
If you want to do this, there are some things we must think about. This might include your age, who you live with, why you would like to apply independently and if you usually make decisions for yourself.
Have someone help with your application
If you find it difficult to apply yourself, you can have someone help you.
Someone who helps you with your application is called an authorised representative. This could be a lawyer, a carer or guardian or another adult that you trust.
There are some rules about who that can be. For example, they must be over the age of 18 and they cannot be a service provider providing you with supports, such as your counsellor.
Authorised representatives can apply for you, update your application, provide documentation to us and communicate with us for you.
If you would like an authorised representative but you don’t know who can help, you can call the Victim’s Legal Service, Youthlaw and Youth Law Australia. See their details below.
If you turn 18 while your application is being assessed, you can choose to still have an authorised representative, or manage your application independently.
How we pay you
We will discuss how you will get paid when your application is finalised.
Payments for expenses such as counselling, medical and safety expenses, and other urgent assistance will be paid directly to your service provider. This means that you will not have to pay them yourself.
For some expense types, payments can only be paid into your bank account if you are over the age of 18. If you are under 18, payments can be made to your parent or guardian.
Payments can also be made to something called Funds in Court. This is when we put your money in an account kept safe by a person in the Supreme Court called the Senior Master of the Supreme Court. If you need to access this money, you will need to apply to the Court.
Marra Yattakunar Pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Marra Yattakunar means Community Helpers in Woiwurrung language and is a special team that helps victims of crime who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
The Marra Yattakunar Pathway team can help you with making or adding a Cultural Support Plan, answer your questions or help you to access culturally safe support services. You can find the details of some of these support services listed below.
If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, it is your choice whether you want to be supported by the Marra Yattakunar Pathway team or not. Either way, all applicants will be treated in a culturally safe way.
Victim recognition
When you apply, you can also ask for a victim recognition statement or a victim recognition meeting. It is your choice whether you want to ask for these or not.
Victim recognition statements
This is a letter provided to an applicant on behalf of the State of Victoria. It talks about the effects of the violence on you. For some people, this can be an important part of someone’s healing journey. It might start to help you feel better in your heart, mind, or body after something painful or scary happens.
Victim recognition meetings
A victim recognition meeting is a formal and private meeting with a senior FAS staff member like the Director or CEO. These meetings are for people who have lost someone close to them to violence.
Victim recognition meetings are a space for us to say sorry for your loss, on behalf of the State of Victoria.
What happens to the information you provide to us?
Most of the information that you share with the FAS is private and confidential. There may be times where the FAS will need to talk to others outside of the FAS about you, your situation or your FAS application. This might happen when we are worried about the safety of you or someone else you have told us about.
Support services
| In case of emergencyCall 000, available 24/7. |
| Kids Helpline5 to 25 year olds. All issues. Confidential phone counselling available all day, every day. Online chat available 24/7, 365 days a year. Call 1800 55 1800 |
| LifelineAll ages. All issues. Phone counselling and online chat available all day, every day. |
Victims Legal Service | |
| YouthlawFree legal assistance and daily helpline for young people in Victoria aged under 25, available Monday to Friday 9 am – 4:30 pm. |
| Youth Law AustraliaFree legal advice and information for young people under 25. |
Victims of Crime HelplineInformation and support for people affected by crime, available every 8:00am – 11:00 pm. | |
| 13YARNConfidential, culturally safe crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Available all day, every day. |
You can find more information and other support services on our Support services for victims page.
We know that using the right language is important. Some children and young people have different understandings of language. The FAS is guided by legislation (laws) and, because of this, uses specific words.
We do our best to use language that most people will understand and that is respectful to everyone. Across this website, we may use terms or words that you haven't seen before.
Use the list below to help understand what they mean.
- Service Provider: A person or group that helps people by giving support, care, or services, such as doctors, counsellors, or social workers.
- Funds in Court: Money that is kept safe by a court until it’s ready to be given to the person, usually when they turn 18 years old.
- Violent Act: When someone hurts another person. This can include hitting, fighting, or using weapons.
- Financial Assistance: Money given to help someone when they’re having a hard time after a violent act.
- Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS): A program in Victoria that gives money and support to people who have been hurt or affected by a crime.
- Distress: A payment of money given to someone after a person they are close to passes away because of a violent act.
- Special Financial Assistance: A payment of money given to help someone after a violent act when they were hurt or someone else was hurt.
- Recovery: This can be different for different people, but it can include feeling safe again, healing, or getting help for what happened.
- Cultural Support Plan: A plan that helps an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person stay connected to their culture, traditions, and community.
- Cultural Safety: Feeling respected and safe when getting help, especially when your culture is understood and valued.
- Marra Yattakunar Pathway: A special support pathway for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people with workers who understand their community and culture and help them after being hurt by crime.
- Support Services: People or places that help you feel better, stay safe, or get through tough times, like counsellors, Elders or community groups.
- Healing: Starting to feel better in your heart, mind, or body after something painful or scary happens.
- Homicide: When someone is killed by another person. It’s a very serious and sad event.
- Young Person: An older child or teenager who is still growing up.
- Confidential: Private. Something that is kept safe and not shared with others unless you tell us it’s okay to share or we are worried about the safety of you or someone else you have told us about.
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