The first separate Youth or Children's Court in South Australia was established under the provisions of the State Children's Act 1895 which called for a separate room to be used for hearings or trials which involved children.
The Youth Court of South Australia was established under the Youth Court Act 1993 and hears matters in relation to criminal offending, child protection , adoption and surrogacy. It is made up of two branches – the Court (including the Registry) and the Conferencing Unit. The Court is presided over by the Judge and the two units are administered by the manager of each branch.
All Youth Court hearings are closed to the public. The Youth Court Act 1993 states that the only persons allowed into court are:
· Officers of the court
· Officers of the Department of Human Services
· Parties to the proceedings and their legal representatives
· Witnesses while giving evidence
· A guardian of the child
· An alleged victim
· A genuine representative of the news media
Although the media are allowed into court, the Youth Court Act 1993 restricts reports of the proceedings so that nothing may be published which may lead to the identification of the youth. Youth Court criminal hearings are also conducted in metropolitan Courts (Elizabeth, Port Adelaide, Christies Beach) and regional courts.
The Conferencing Unit conducts Family Conferences for young offenders and Family Group Conferences for children the subject of care and protection matters. Family Conferences and Family Group Conferences are conducted throughout the State.