“Ask Me Anything,” is an engaging online video series where knowledge experts tackle candid questions about sexual and reproductive health, gendered violence prevention, mental health, and gender equality in a light-hearted manner, and with a sense of humour.
Aimed at promoting open and informed discussions, WHISE was thrilled to launch the first episode, “Teens Ask”, which focused on questions from young people about sexual health. It offers viewers an opportunity to explore evidence-based information and gain a foundational understanding of key sexual health concepts. The episode features Vanessa Hamilton of Talking the Talk Sexuality Education and Sarah Lorrimar, Sexologist and Sexual & Reproductive Health Team Leader at GenWest.
“Ask Me Anything” is now live and you can follow the series on WHISE’s YouTube channel
Led by the Centre for Family Research and Evaluation (CFRE) at Drummond Street Services, in partnership with research partners the Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) at RMIT University and the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), and funded by Family Safety Victoria, Future-proofing Safety was a research project that sought to understand how services across Victoria responded to family violence during COVID-19.
Future-proofing Safety purposefully took a system-wide view of service interactions for people who experienced or used family violence during COVID-19. The multi-faceted project design recognised that many conventional entry points to support and approaches to service delivery fell away during the COVID-19 period. This occurred as practitioners contended with unprecedented challenges to support a population in crisis, while simultaneously adapting to the changes that the crisis brought about in their own lives.
The research highlighted a number of significant challenges and specific opportunities for services and clients that emerged over the course of the pandemic. These included elevated client risk and need, changed service responses, gaps and weaknesses within the family violence and sexual assault service system, and the complex impacts of COVID-19 on the workforce. In addition to highlighting key findings and recommendations, the final research report takes a future focus by offering a framework for crisis readiness responses that aims to future-proof how Victoria responds to family violence and disadvantage during future crises.
This snapshot examines risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence victimisation among Australian adolescents. The aim of this resource is to help you identify populations who could be at increased risk, so that protective factors can be strengthened. Although the current snapshot focuses on victim-survivors, we emphasise that prevention of intimate partner violence perpetration should be a core focus of policy intervention.
This snapshot focuses on victim-survivors of intimate partner violence. As such, the core aim of this work is to further understand the scope of intimate partner violence victimisation among Australian 18–19 year olds. Specific focus is given to different forms of intimate partner violence victimisation, and rates of intimate partner violence among adolescent females and males. The potentially protective role of peers and parents against intimate partner violence is considered.
The following questions are addressed: (1) How prevalent is intimate partner violence and abuse victimisation among adolescents aged 18–19 years? (2) What are the most common violent or abusive behaviours experienced by adolescents in an intimate relationship? (3) Do supportive friendships in the teen years reduce the risk of intimate partner violence and abuse victimisation at ages 18–19 years? (4) Do supportive relationships with parents in the teen years reduce the risk of intimate partner violence and abuse victimisation at ages 18–19 years?
Click here to read full report
This is the first release of the National Gambling Trends Study (NGTS) findings, which will be produced annually by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). The aim of the NGTS is to present timely information on recent trends, emerging issues and possible future directions in gambling participation and related harms in Australia. The information is relevant for gambling policy makers and regulators, service providers, researchers and the broader community. A long-term goal of the NGTS is to support the development and implementation of evidence-based approaches to prevent and reduce gambling-related harm in Australia.
Findings indicate 4 out of 5 regular pokies gamblers and 2 in 3 regular online bettors are already experiencing or are at risk of gambling harms. Young people aged 18-34 are at the highest risk of gambling harm in Australia. This highlights the need for the development of approaches to reduce gambling related harm in Australia. Access the latest findings today.
Click here to read full report
We all deserve to be respected for who we are. But growing up, many of us are told we should have certain skills, likes and dislikes, and ways we should look based on our gender – rather than who we are as a person.
Assumptions about gender limit us. They create expectations about who carries the parenting load and does most of the housework. Whose role it is to earn money, and the kinds of jobs we should have. Who gets to make decisions – at home, work, and in our communities. Who is allowed to be emotional, and who is allowed to be assertive. What we can wear and how we should look.
These ideas keep us from being ourselves and filter through our relationships, workplaces, and communities. They limit opportunities and choices and can lead to discrimination and violence. It’s important to challenge assumptions about gender to help create a society where everyone is free to be themselves.
What could a world look like where we are all free and supported to be ourselves?
It all starts with a conversation
The handing down of the Disability Royal Commission’s landmark report represents a line in the sand for ending the widespread discrimination and violence that people with a disability experience every day in Australia.
Through almost 2000 public and private hearings, people with disability and carers delivered at times harrowing evidence, painting a disturbing picture of widespread violence, discrimination and human rights violations.
Click here to read Our Watch article
The ‘middle years’, or early adolescence (8–14 years), of a child’s life are a period of key developments in sexual maturity, the brain, social and emotional cognition and self-awareness. During the middle years, the influence of peer relationships on a young person’s social and emotional development also begins to intensify. Australian research indicates that although friendships are important to young people in this age group, they can also be a source of anxiety and stress. Therefore, it is important to understand what factors influence peer relationships in the middle years to be able to better support young people’s mental health, development and wellbeing.
This short article summarises key findings from a systematic review by Mitic and colleagues (2021) that looked at the determinants of supportive peer relationships in early adolescence.
In Australia, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander youth are over-represented at all stages of the child protection system. This includes over-representation among care leavers; approximately 1,265 First Nations youth aged 15–17 years exit out of home care (OOHC) annually, and this figure is rising (Productivity Commission, 2021). First Nations care leavers commonly face poor social, economic, and health outcomes. Inadequate and culturally insensitive services contribute to these poor outcomes. This resource is aimed at supporting front-line practitioners to:
- Have a working knowledge of the historical and contemporary context of social welfare policies and their impact on First Nations families.
- Use this knowledge as a starting point to build an awareness of how individual and systemic practices impact First Nations young people and families.
- Recognise the importance of working with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), Elders and respected community members to design and implement strengths-based culturally informed support services.
Violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is not an ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander problem.’
Every individual, across communities, organisations and governments, has a responsibility to prevent violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children. Changing the picture is a framework to guide the national approach to addressing the drivers of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Read Changing the picture here
No effective solutions can be developed without the people most affected by them.
Expressions of interest are now open for the Lived Experience Advisory council at The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission.
Please share with your networks!
The Commission is seeking expressions of interest from people with lived or living experience of domestic, family and sexual violence to appoint up to twelve members to a national Lived Experience Advisory Council. The Advisory Council provides a national approach to engagement with people who have experienced domestic, family and sexual violence to ensure the diverse lived experiences are informing policies and solutions. The Advisory Council will share advice with the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission to create and improve policy, systems and services and report on implementation and progress towards the objectives of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-23.
For information on how to apply, please visit the DFSVC website
Expressions of Interest close at 11.59pm AEST on Tuesday 26 September 2023.
Enquiries can be directed to [email protected]