Today, parliament passed a bill that will enshrine 10 days paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave as a workplace right for every worker in Australia.
It is a new workplace right that will literally save lives.
And it is all thanks to the tireless work of hundreds of thousands of union members around this country who stood up and said: Enough words. We need action.
Today’s win comes off the back of a decade of campaigning by the union movement and activists. A decade which has seen us win change, workplace by workplace, agreement by agreement, then in Awards, and now, in the National Employment Standards.
Make sure you register for our special documentary film screening of the story of all the incredible women who fought so long to win this right.
Family Safety Victoria is currently consulting on the design of a new program to target and evaluate intensive interventions for high-risk and high-harm perpetrators of family violence (‘the serious-risk program’), including strengthened family safety advocacy.
Family Safety Victoria is keen to engage with government and community services sector stakeholders (including front-line staff and practitioners who work with adults who use family violence and victim survivors) to ensure they get the design of this important program right for all participants of this program.
Family Safety Victoria is holding some virtual workshops to discuss key elements of the model in more detail. I encourage you to attend any of the following workshops, please register your interest by Monday 17 October 2022:
*Consultation sessions commence 19 October 2022
| Date and time | Virtual workshop | Description | |
| Wednesday 19 October 2022, 11am-12pm | Serious-risk program information session 1: overview | A one-hour information session on the proposed service model outlined in the discussion paper. There will be opportunity to ask questions about the discussion paper and consultation process. | |
| Thursday 20 October 2022, 11am-12pm | Serious-risk program information session 2: overview | A one-hour information session on the proposed service model. A one-hour information session on the proposed service model outlined in the discussion paper. There will be opportunity to ask questions about the discussion paper and consultation process. (This is a repeat of session 1 on Wednesday. You do not need to attend both) | |
| Tuesday 25 October 2022, 10am-12pm | Serious-risk program workshop 1: Collaboration across systems* | A two-hour workshop focused on cross-system collaboration required to deliver this model effectively. This includes exploring opportunities for proactive engagement and outreach, collaborative intake and assessment, and MARAM coordination. | |
| Wednesday 26 October 2022, 10am-12pm | Serious-risk program workshop 2: Enhanced family safety advocacy* | A two-hour workshop focused on enhanced family safety advocacy, including ensuring it meets the needs of children and young people as victim survivors in their own right. It will also include a discussion on workforce capabilities and considerations. | |
| Thursday 3 November 2022, 1pm-3pm | Serious-risk program workshop 3: Response to adult using family violence* | A two-hour workshop focused on the response to adult using family violence. This includes exploring the case management and responsive behaviour change intervention components of the model. It will also include a discussion on workforce capabilities and considerations. |
*Note, there are limited spaces in these workshops to facilitate discussion and collaboration. We may hold extra workshops if we receive significant interest.
- Written feedback on the discussion paper is also welcome by COB Friday 4 November 2022. Please send any feedback to [email protected].
Attachments
- A discussion paper and overview presentation that outlines emerging thinking on the target population and proposed service model, based on research and targeted consultation to date (attached to this email).
Background
- The Victorian Government has provided $3.234 million for a two-year (2023 and 2024) program to target and evaluate intensive interventions for high-risk and high-harm perpetrators (‘the serious-risk program’), including strengthened family safety advocacy.
- The serious-risk program seeks to keep victim survivors safe by joining up responses across the service system to keep serious-risk adults using family violence in view, disrupt their use of violence, change their behaviour, and lead them to accountability.
- Funding has been provided to deliver the serious-risk program in four areas across Victoria (covering regional and metropolitan areas, including one site intended to be led by an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation).
- An evaluation of the effectiveness of the two-year program will be undertaken.
Further information
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
How are you using the Safe & Together™ Model in your practice?
The Safe & Together Institute together with Berry Street, The Centre for Excellence in Child & Family Welfare and Safe and Equal are proud to partner to bring you the 6th Asia Pacific Safe & Together™ Model Conference.
Featuring David Mandel, Executive Director, Safe & Together Institute, we are developing a program that will showcase a range of international and local speakers who will share how they are implementing the Safe & Together™ Model, how it is influencing their practice and enhancing the safety and wellbeing of children.
The program will be rich in content and interesting to all levels of familiarity with the Model including attendees of prior conferences, professionals who have undergone training and those new to the model. It will include keynote presentations, concurrent sessions that focus on skill building and discussion as well as networking opportunities. We will also be offering pre-conference masterclasses to kick start your learning journey.
We invite you to share your experience and learning by submitting a conference abstract to present a workshop at the conference.
Submissions close: Monday 21 November 2022
Click here to submit your abstract
The smiling faces of the conference working group say it all! The Lived Experience conference held on Tuesday, 18th October was a fantastic gathering of people from our sector who are passionate about creating supportive and thriving workplaces for those with lived experience of family violence.
Feedback from those involved has been strong, positive, constructive and really committed to the opportunities that emerged during the day.
WHISE has created a short, 4 minute video on the day – please watch and enjoy
On 17 October 2022, the Australian, state and territory governments released the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan).
The National Plan is the overarching national policy framework that will guide actions towards ending violence against women and children over the next 10 years.
It highlights how all parts of society, including governments, businesses and workplaces, media, schools and educational institutions, the family, domestic and sexual violence sector, communities and all individuals, must work together to achieve the shared vision of ending gender-based violence in one generation. Read more here
Read the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032
Coercive control is often a significant part of family and domestic violence. Coercive control involves perpetrators using abusive behaviours in a pattern over time in a way that creates and maintains power and dominance over another person or persons. Perpetrators may use physical or non-physical abusive behaviours, or a combination of both.
Coercive control is a pressing issue that requires a coordinated, national approach. The Australian Government and state and territory governments are working together to develop National Principles to Address Coercive Control.
The National Principles will help create a shared national understanding of coercive control, which is important for improving the safety of Australians, particularly women and children.
You can contribute to a shared national understanding of coercive control by providing your feedback on the Consultation Draft of the National Principles to Address Coercive Control using the survey link
Family Safety Victoria have released a helpful table of current and upcoming and consultations and reviews. This includes MARAM and information sharing and the Capability Frameworks.
Wimmera residents now have access to this service offering co-ordinated family violence and child well-being support in the one place. The Horsham’s Orange Door was officially opened by Minister for Prevention of Family Violence the Hon. Ros Spence MP on Tuesday 9 August.
Read more about The Orange Door here.
In February 2022, Safe and Equal began a co-design process with a diverse group of survivor advocates and Think Impact consulting agency to develop the foundations of a client outcomes framework for specialist family violence services.
Safe and Equal had identified such a framework as a necessary step towards developing a broader approach to centering client voice, demonstrating specialist family violence sector’s accountability to clients, and a consistent approach to measuring and monitoring the value and impact of specialist family violence services.
The framework represents a first step that puts victim survivors at the centre of measuring client outcomes. Further work is required to identify the difference and interactions between the service level and system level outcomes and undertake wider consultation and testing with victim survivors to support further refinement and embedding of the framework across the sector.
Download the project report here
Family Safety Victoria (FSV) have provided an update to ensure that victim survivors have consistent and equitable access to specialist family violence support options across the state. The update provides confirmation of the minimum requirements for all Local Family Violence Support Services in all DFFH Areas related to the treatment of referrals for specialist family violence support. Local Family Violence Support Services receive funding for victim survivor case management under Activity 38028 Client Support Family Violence. This funding supports the delivery of key case management functions across the spectrum of responses and domains set out in the Case Management Program Requirements. This includes intake and access related screening, identification and triage functions.
Family Safety Victoria – Access to Local Family Violence Support Services – September 2022