On the 26th of March 2026, the Bayside Peninsula community came together for a first-of-its-kind forum focused on strengthening our collective response to non-fatal strangulation (NFS), a serious and often invisible form of family & sexual violence with a high risk of lethality.
Led by the Bayside Peninsula Integrated Family Violence Partnership (BPIFVP), the forum brought together police, ambulance, forensics, education, family and sexual violence specialists and community service sectors in a coordinated effort to strengthen early identification and response to NFS. Specialist training, typically only available within Victoria Police, was delivered with support from the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) and adapted for frontline community workers. Our entire panel of experts brought deep expertise and experience, and played a critical role in building shared knowledge, consistent language, and cross-sector understanding.
This day was not just about building knowledge; it was about building connection and a shared understanding, highlighting the urgency of an increasing issue across our community. It created space for building relationships across sectors that must work together if we are to respond effectively. Police, Ambulance, medical professionals, community practitioners and educators each hold a piece of the response, and it is only through integration that we strengthen outcomes for victim survivors.
Access BPIFVP Non-Fatal Strangulation Resource here