The Act says a One-stop Child Justice Centre can be situated anywhere but not in a court or police station. These centres provide:

• Offices for police and probation officers, attorneys representing children, people providing diversion and prevention services, people who trace families of children
• Temporary accommodation for children who are waiting for the outcome of the preliminary inquiry
• a Children’s Court to hear children’s court inquiries
• a Regional Court

The role of the magistrate who presides over a case involving a child is:

• To make sure the compulsory assessment has been completed
• To make a decision about whether the matter should be diverted, or transferred to a Children’s Court for an inquiry, or prosecuted

The magistrate has to decide where to place a child. Magistrates can only make informed decisions about children if they work closely with their families, NGOs, welfare agencies, community members and others during the preliminary inquiry.