A new report from Respect Victoria examines how men in Australia are challenging harmful masculine norms, and what this means for preventing violence against women. Willing, capable and confident: men, masculinities and the prevention of violence against women presents findings from focus group discussions with Australian men, following on from the Man Box 2024 report. It explores how men conform to, navigate or challenge harmful expressions of masculinity.
Framing the Future the second three-year rolling action plan under Building from strength: 10-Year Industry Plan for Family Violence Prevention and Response is now available online.
Framing the Future will continue to develop the specialisation of the family violence, primary prevention and sexual assault workforces through providing clearer education and training pathways, improving support for early career workers, creating more varied specialisation pathways as workers progress in their careers and improving options for experienced practitioners to move between service types.
The plan reflects strong collaboration with family violence and sexual assault peak bodies and employers as well as opportunities to connect shared workforce development opportunities and challenges across community services – this includes children and families, disability and housing and homelessness.
It addresses critical vacancies and building better career pathways, with a focus on retaining the workforce.
Teach Us Consent’s Promoting Consent Initiative aims to improve young people’s (aged 16–25) awareness and understanding of consent and healthy sexual relationships through trauma-informed and age-appropriate content.
In addition to consultation with relevant organisations, experts and advisors, a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) will be established to co-design content and centre the voices and experiences of young people.
Teach Us Consent’s Promoting Consent Initiative is seeking nominations for their new Youth Advisory Group (YAG). Members will be financially compensated for their time and expertise and First Nations young people, young people from diverse cultural backgrounds, neurodivergent young people, young people with disability, LGBTIQA+ young people, and young people from rural and remote locations are encouraged to submit.
Nominations are open until 11.59pm on 25 August 2024. Find out more and make a nomination here
This project reveals that engagement is a nuanced process influenced by readiness, motivation, referral pathways, and support systems. It aims to inform future advancements in these programs to enhance victim-survivor safety, improve perpetrator engagement and accountability, and ultimately to reduce repetition of abusive behaviours and escalation of family violence. In highlighting the importance of individualised support and post-program engagement, the study advocates for a more cohesive and supportive approach towards program design and delivery.
Multicultural community services provide essential support to migrant and refugee women experiencing family violence, and new research is seeking to understand how effectively these services are integrated into the family violence service system as a whole. A new research project from the University of Melbourne, Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and Whittlesea Community Connections would like to speak to:
- Specialist family violence workers
- Workers in multicultural services responsible for implementing family violence initiatives
- Workers in multicultural services responding to families impacted by family violence (e.g. settlement workers, bilingual health workers)
Interviews and focus groups will take approximately 60 and 90 minutes respectively at a convenient location or via Zoom. For more information, please contact Mary Stathopoulos or Jess Kirwan at the University of Melbourne.
Best practice supervision guidelines are now available for the family violence, sexual assault and child wellbeing workforces. Developed in partnership with the sector, the Guidelines provide best practice approaches and recommended standards that can be used for all types of supervision, staff induction, training and policy development.
Announced May 29, a new package of reforms will change laws, change culture and deliver new support for victim survivors when they need it most.
The package will drive action at every stage: better responding to victims when violence occurs, delivering a stronger justice response that holds offenders to account, and continuing Victoria’s world-leading prevention response – stopping violence before it starts.
“When women are still dying at the hands of men – we must do more. From prevention to response to justice, these reforms will target family violence at every stage.” – Premier Jacinta Allan
DATES RELEASED FOR APRIL & MAY 2024
Do you work with adults using family violence in your role? This new MARAM offering from Safe and Equal is suitable for all professionals who may identify family violence is occurring and who engage with people in a one-off, episodic or ongoing service. This training focuses on working with adults using family violence.
During this training, you will learn to identify indicators for a person likely to be using family violence by observation of common narratives and behaviours. You will also learn how to respond according to your roles and responsibilities and will be supported to use the Identification Tool.
Who can attend?
All professionals who may identify family violence is occurring and who engage with people in a one-off, episodic or ongoing service.
Click here for more information
“As survivors, we know what could have helped us, we know what hurt us.“
Efforts to protect children from abuse which do not centre the wisdom of people who were abused as children themselves are fundamentally limited in their effectiveness.
‘Emma’s Project’ was always the temporary name for a much more collective effort for the protection of children, guided by the shared wisdom of survivors of sexual abuse during childhood.
After having read every single word from every single person who responded to the survey – three times over – ACF have a roadmap forward.
It is with pride that ACF share their survivor-renamed Our Collective Experience Project, and our first report from it: Hear us now, act now.
We encourage you to download, read and share this report with people you know who may be interested in the protection of children. The content of the report which includes extensive quotes from survivors is very powerful.