Welcome!
As we near the end of the year we all tend to do some reflection and consider what we have achieved for the 12 months, what we would still love to achieve and what has been happening in the world around us.
It has been a devastating year when you consider family and domestic violence. For a long time we have said that on average one woman a week is killed by someone she knows, that's no longer the case, and rather than being able to say we've reduced the statistic this year it has increased. This year more than one woman per week has been killed by someone she knows.
In WA the situation is no better. We've more than doubled the domestic violence related deaths compared to 2017 and we still have over a month of the year to go.
There is no denying we find ourselves at a crisis point when it comes to family and domestic violence and that we must work together to take action on a number of fronts to stop this epidemic.
Despite some of the challenges our sector has faced this year what I believe has become clear this year is that we have a strong and connected service system and the goodwill to make a real difference.
We have a wonderful network of women's services who work hard every day to support women and children in our community who have been affected by family and domestic violence, I encourage you to support their work by attending their events such as their movie night fundraiser and High Tea. They also continue to support the sector through training. In this issue you can read Kedy's article on the impact of non-fatal strangulation and register for Strangulation Prevention training.
We also have a number of very committed men's behaviour change programs that are working with men to support and show them how they can change their behaviour towards women and have positive relationships with the women and children in their lives. This network of programs came together in September to showcase their work. If you missed the conference you can view the presentations on our website. I also encourage you to keep you eye out for the next showcase on Interventions in February 'What's New in FDV Interventions'.
It's been a horrific year for Family and Domestic Violence in our state and country but I am encouraged as we head into the festive season by a sector that continues to work together to ensure that all women and children can live their lives free from fear of violence.
I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy new year.
Damian Green, Stopping Family Violence
New office for SFV
Recently Stopping Family Violence moved into their new office in City West Lotteries House.
Our new contact details are:
City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi St, West Perth WA 6005
(08) 6323 7188
For general enquiries - admin@sfv.org.au
For communications enquiries - comms@sfv.org.au
Demystifying Men’s Behaviour Change Programs
On Monday 10th September the WA MBC Network facilitated a 1-day conference to dispel common misconceptions in the community, explore case studies, intervention, accountability and research analysis including how MBCPs work towards increasing the safety of women and children in the state of WA by generating evidence informed knowledge to assist services and tailor effect responses.
The day was a great success with attendees enjoying the opportunity to network with others working within the sector and the breath of topics covered on the day. If you were unable to attend the conference presentations can be access on the Stopping Family Violence Website.
To view the presentations click here.
Updates to the Residential Tenancies Legislation
WA’s tenancy and residential parks laws are changing to support victims of family and domestic violence (FDV) and help them to leave abusive relationships.
Key changes, which could be law by the end of 2018, would enable victims of FDV to: exit a tenancy with seven (7) days’ notice without going to court, remove a perpetrator from a lease by applying to the courts, change locks or increase security, handle disputes about property damage or unpaid rent, and have their name removed from a tenancy database blacklist.
New ANROWS Publication
Taken from ANROWS electronic newsletter 15thNovember 2018
Examining the power of Child-At-Risk electronic medical record (eMR) alerts to share interpersonal violence, abuse and neglect concerns: Do child protection alerts help?
Research to policy and practice: Key findings and future directions paper
Research report: In-depth research report
To read the full article click here.
Release of first national analysis from DV Death Review Teams amid push for more
A landmark report released by the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Network in June provides the first comprehensive analysis of domestic violence homicide nationally. It follows calls during the ANROWS Conference from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins for expanding the Death Review function to all eight jurisdictions and establishing a national function to collect and report on data and monitor recommendations made.
See the full text of Commissioner Jenkins' speech here. Also see the report by ANROWS conference dinner speaker, Jane Gilmore.
Non-Fatal Strangulation
Submitted by Kedy Kristal from the Women's Council.
Strangulation is the obstruction of blood vessels and/or airflow in the neck resulting in asphyxia.
The use of strangulation is often not to kill a partner but to let the victim know the perpetrator could kill them very easily.
1 in 4 women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime and 10% of these women will experience near-fatal strangulation by their partner.
Strangulation in 50% of victims does not leave visible injuries but still may cause brain damage due to lack of oxygen and may have caused internal injuries that don’t show up until days or weeks later.
The use of strangulation is one of the strongest indicators for a significant increased risk of being killed by a violent partner.
Workshop: Evaluation readiness, program quality and outcomes in Men’s Behaviour change Programs
ANROWS and Stopping Family Violence Inc. convened a workshop to discuss the upcoming ANROWS research Evaluation readiness, program quality and outcomes in Men’s Behaviour Change Programs, led by Professor Andrew Day. The workshop was conducted on Thursday 18 October 2018 in Perth, WA and provided an opportunity for participants to explore a range of preliminary findings from the project. Of particular importance, participants were also encouraged to discuss and reflect upon the implications of findings for their local practice and policy contexts.
A wide range of stakeholders engaged in the workshop including domestic and family violence practitioners, MBCP providers and program managers, researchers, government professionals, policymakers, corrections staff and researchers from predominantly Western Australia as well as across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.
The Research Report and Research to Policy and Practice paper will be made available later in the year. More information about this project is available here.
The Midland March That Matters
In support of White Ribbon Day
Stopping Family Violence attended the Midland March That Matters on Thursday 23rd November 2018 at Juniper Gardens, Midland. Led by the WA Police Pipe Band, members of the public, and community and government services marched together side by side to end men’s violence towards women. The message being delivered was that domestic violence is a community issue and in order to combat this, we as a community need to end the silence around domestic violence by standing up and speaking out. This year marked the 5th year for this White Ribbon event in Midland, which received a fantastic turn out. Amongst the services that attended were the Midland Police, Centrecare, Rise Network, RSPCA WA, Midland Women’s Health Care, Indigo Junction, Relationship Australia WA, Women’s Law Centre WA, City of Swan, White Ribbon, Zonta House and many more.
28th Annual Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March
The Stopping Family Violence team were privileged to be in attendance at the 28th Annual Silent Domestic Violence Memorial March at the Supreme Court Gardens in Perth on Friday 23rd November.
The Western Australian Police Pipe Band, followed by Minister McGurk and Police Commissioner Dawson, lead the Memorial March through Perth CBD and back to the Supreme Court Gardens. With approximately 1000 people in attendance, this was a fantastic turn out on the day, in which all over us at Stopping Family Violence felt honoured to be a part of.
White Ribbon Day Community Festival
Our Operations Manager, Mark O’Hare attended the White Ribbon Day Community Festival at Centennial Pioneer Park, Gosnells on Saturday 24th November.
Organised by Save the Children and the City of Gosnells, this was a free community event celebrating White Ribbon Day which encouraged members of the local community and community services to come together to recognise and raise awareness on the positive role men can play in preventing violence against women.
With a free BBQ, bouncy castle, children’s play area, face painting, drumming circle, family and kids’ activities, it certainly was a fun day out for all those involved.
16 Days of Activism WA Morning Tea
The Stopping Family Violence team attended a morning tea for the 16 Days of Activism WA Campaign at the Department of the Premier and Cabinet on Monday 26th November.
A number of community services were invited to attend and provide information and contacts on the services available in WA that work in the area of family and domestic violence.
Director General, Mark Foster opened the event and introduced speakers Kedy Kristal from the Women's Council and Amber, a survivor of domestic violence.
To read more or to find out more about the 16 days of activism click here.
Showcase: What’s new in FDV Interventions
Introducing new programs, discussing recent research and considering the issues facing the sector.
Save the Date: Monday February 11th 2019
Time: 9:00am to 4:30pm
Venue: South Perth Yacht Club
Event information: To be confirmed.
Overcoming Indigenous Family Violence Conference
Date: Conference - 5th March 2019 / Post Conference Workshop - 6th March 2019
Time: 08:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Venue: TBC
Cost: Varies
Event Information: For more details or to register click here.
Save the Date: Funds for Freedom High Tea
Date: Friday 8th March 2019
Time: TBC
Venue: TBC
Cost: TBC
Event Information: TBC
Strangulation Prevention Training
Date: 1st and 2nd April 2019
Time: 09:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Venue: University Club of Western Australia
Cost: $550
Flyer: Download the flyer here.
We believe that professional training and development is one of the biggest areas of need when working in the FDV field. If your organisation has any training or events coming up in this field, get in touch as we may be able to help promote these to others working in the sector!
National Research Project
Invitation to complete a Survey about Partner Contact practice
Attention: Managers and Partner Contact workers (or similar)
We at SFV and Curtin seek your assistance with encouraging relevant staff to complete a short, anonymous, on-line survey (20 to 25 minutes) about partner contact practice in the context of Men’s Behaviour Change Programs (MBCPs).
This is a national survey and as such we are hoping to have adequate representation from the variety of programs and organisations across locations and jurisdictions. Your help in achieving this would be greatly appreciated.
Would you please distribute this email and survey link to anyone in your organisation familiar with partner contact practice. If your organisation runs programs across multiple locations, it would be helpful if practitioners in these different areas are given opportunity to participate. Further information about the project is provided here.
Click on this link to access the survey: https://curtin.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Ktj7tI1RtgWooR
ANROWS National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS) findings released.
Findings from the 2017 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey are now available. Read them at ncas.anrows.org.au
On the whole, the survey found that Australians are less likely to hold attitudes supportive of violence against women now than in 2013 and 2009 and are more likely to support gender equality.
Despite an overall positive trend in understandings of and attitudes about violence against women and gender equality, the research shows that many Australians also believe some common myths.
There has been a declining trend in the percentage of people recognising that men are more likely than women to use violence in relationships (down 22 percentage points since1995). One in three Australians are also unaware that a woman is more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone she knows than by a stranger.
Read the full report at ANROWS's NCAS website.
If you have any feedback or would like to contribute to the next issue please email comms@sfv.org.au
