The Statewide Disability and Family Violence Crisis Response Initiative (DFVCRI) is one in a suite of Victorian Government reforms to address family violence. The initiative gives victim survivors with disability access to immediate support if they are in crisis.
The DFVCRI aims to:
- build capacity across services supporting child and adult victim survivors with disability and
- provide immediate practical help to victim survivors with disability in crisis.
How to access support from the DFVCRI
Secondary consultation
Disability Family Violence Liaison Officers (DFVLOs) are available for consultation between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. If you would like to speak with one of the DFVLOs, please email [email protected], or call 1800 015 188.
DFVCRI brokerage
Specialist family violence practitioners and mainstream professionals can contact DFVLOs to discuss applications for DFVCRI brokerage 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1800 015 188.
Sector capacity building
To arrange for a capacity building session, please contact Safe Steps via email [email protected]. You can also call 1800 015 188 during business hours to discuss the specific development needs of your organisation.
Who can access the DFVCRI brokerage?
To access the initiative, the child or adult victim survivor must:
- Be a victim survivor of family violence and assessed as ‘requires immediate protection’ or ‘at serious risk’ under the MARAM Framework or is assessed to be so by the DFVLO.
- Have a disability that affects the ability of the victim survivor to leave an unsafe environment without extra disability-related support. This includes impairments related to:
- a disability as defined by the Disability Act 2006 (Vic)
- a mental illness, chronic health or ageing condition, or
- a temporary or permanent injury resulting from family violence.
Where it is not possible to immediately determine if the victim survivor has a disability, but it is probable that they do and there is an urgent need to respond, funding may be provided for the crisis period (up to 12 weeks).
- Require disability support related to the impairments set out above, to either access a family violence crisis accommodation response or remain safely in their home or community.
Services looking to purchase disability supports that will help multiple victim survivors with disability must regularly support victim survivors who meet the above criteria in the normal course of service.