CMS Portal Basics FAQs

This section offers responses to frequently asked questions about the basic functionality of the CMS Portal.

 

How long is requesting case access for a legal practitioner or a law firm?

Case access will be instant upon request for legal professionals. 

 

How will I get access to my cases as a Child Protection Worker?

Case access will be granted by your organisational admin. Communications will come from both the Project and DFFH communications team about this process closer to go live. 

 

Will parties be able to access IVOs and criminal cases to link to the CP matters? 

The system has the ability to link different case types and person match. How this information might be displayed in the portal to external parties will be determined closer to the criminal and IVO release

 

Will parties always be able to access redacted CRIS notes from previous listings?

CRIS notes filed after Go-live will all be available from previous listing. The Court does not intend to 'back-scan' all previous documents filed pre go live. 

 

How many CP Workers can be allocated to a case? 

Only a single CP worker can be allocated to a case as the current active worker. There is no limit to the number of DFFH staff or lawyers that can have case access. 

 

Will certain sections of cases be only accessible to certain parties? 

Yes, depending on the category of access there are certain functions/documents that are only visible to particular account types.   

 

If a firm is appearing on behalf of a party does everyone in the firm instantly get access? 

No, each lawyer in the firm will have to request access to the case. 

 

Will parties be able to see contact details on the portal? 

Only DFFH users can view and update party contact details on the portal. 

 

Will bail justices have access to CMS? 

No, any orders made in a case by a bail justice will need to be uploaded onto CMS. 

 

If it's a duty lawyer and they are no longer acting does this reflect in Portal? 

Parties who appear as a duty lawyer but do not enter their firm as ongoing representation will not be recorded as acting for a party.  

 

Will the department get automatic access like legal practitioners? 

No, there is an internal DFFH process for getting case access which requires approval from an organisational administrator for CP Workers. CPLO staff will get access like legal practitioners.  

 

Once I request case access will I have to do it again at every hearing? 

No, once case access is granted parties will be able to access the matter indefinitely.

 

After I am allocated a case from the DAL will I automatically be given cases access? 

As a legal practitioner you will first need to request access but as soon as it is requested it is automatically given. 

 

If an agent or barrister is appearing for me on a specific day, will they be able to get case access? 

Yes, they will be able to request access and will receive it instantly as long as they have a CMS Portal account. 

 

If I am acting on one case, can I view all the siblings cases? 

As a legal practitioner you will need to request access to all cases of the sibling group.  

 

If a client attends a firm and wishes to see orders for an already finalised case, can we seek access and provide the orders to them? 

If you represented a client for a particular case, then you can access orders from the portal. 

 

Upon receiving a notice of ceasing to act will the court remove case access?  

No, case access can be removed by an organisation administrator. The Court will not monitor and remove access in this scenario. 

 

Will there be an issue if a Counsel is briefed as appearing for a party? Will I have to remove myself as acting for them to appear?  

No, Counsel can be given case access to a matter but will not override the firm acting for a party.  

 

Is the register tab an audit trail and will it have previous versions of documents? 

Yes, it is an audit trail of actions/events that occur on a case. The Court has the ability to view version history of documents, but this is not available within the portal.  

 

Will we be able to request video links and interpreters via the portal? 

Yes, whenever and application is filed with the court there is a resources panel where the applicant can enter this information for the court to action. 

 

If a legal practitioner wishes to appear digitally can this be requested via CMS Portal? 

No, parties will need to make that request before the court date as they do currently. 

 

How will VLA referrals work? 

Depending on the application type, VLA will be sent an automatic notification with the required documents for the referral process. 

 

Does the filing of document via the CMS portal constitute service? 

No, parties are still obligated to serve as per the current provisions.

 

If I am no longer a worker or a practitioner on a case, can I remove it from my Portal? 

No, at the current time once case access is granted the case will stay on your 'My Cases' tab and cannot be removed by the portal account holder. Only the Court or an organisational admin user can remove access.  

 

How long is the Portal log in time before it times out?  

There are two potential ways the Portal will time out users which are listed below: 

1. Portal Inactivity Timeout: Login in Portal and leave it on for 60 mins. After 60 mins user should be logged out due to in-activity.  

2. Portal Session Timeout: Login into Portal and use it consistently for an 8-hour session. If you exceed 8 hours of consistent use, you are logged out and asked to re-login.

 

Can I have multiple cases open at the same time?  

Yes, you can have multiple cases open at the same time in different browser tabs. 

 

How will the court ensure that court users will have a channel to ask questions about the portal when this portal goes live? 

There will be CMS Experts onsite when the portal goes live who will be able to assist court users. Further to this there will be a contact centre where enquiries can be directed also. 

 

Is there going to be a printed manual for reference purposes? 

On the CMS Help Centre there are quick reference guides, videos, as well as cheat sheets and fact sheets, which can all be downloaded and printed. 

 

Is the expectation that data entered in the portal by DFFH will replace the requirement to complete the VLA 'green form'? 

Yes, there is no longer a need to file the 'green information form' as all of those details will now be provided as data in the portal. 

 

Is there going to be a way to change the Child Protection Practitioner, so everyone is aware of who the current worker is? 

Yes, when filing an application or document the filer has the ability to update the current Child Protection Practitioner. 

 

Does each child have their own number even if they are linked to a case? 

Yes, each child will be a separate case and have a unique case number. Cases will also be linked within a sibling group.

 

How do parties obtain the court number that is required for requesting access? 

The court number will generate on all documents created by the CMS Portal.  

 

If a firm currently has hundreds of files, will they automatically have access? 

No, the firm will need to request access to their cases. 

 

Is case access individual or firm based?

Access is for an individual portal user, there are no organisation portal accounts. It is also important to note that case access requests are for an individual child, not all children. You need to make separate requests for each child in a family group. 

 

Are admin staff allowed access? 

Yes, legal firms can elect to give legal admin staff portal access if the Organisational Admin user decides it is appropriate. All portal access is subject to the Terms of Use. 

 

When VLA makes a referral do they grant you access to the case on the portal? 

No, lawyers will need to request access to the case in the CMS Portal via your account.