Family Violence Reform Newsletter Edition 12: 29 March 2018 Respect VictoriaKristy McKellar speaking at the Respect Victoria announcement On the second anniversary of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the government today announced a new organisation, Respect Victoria. Respect Victoria will have a dedicated focus on the prevention of family violence and all forms of violence against women and it will work for a future where all Victorians experience equality and respect where they live, work, learn, and play. Call it out'Respect Women: Call it out', the government’s latest behaviour change advertising campaign was launched today. The campaign encourages Victorian men to intervene and call out sexism and gender inequality – one of the main drivers of family violence. It also provides online information to support men to call out disrespectful and sexist behaviours. You can see the advertisements from today across all major television networks, regional and metro newspapers, billboards, cinema and online. Two years on from the Royal Commission into Family ViolenceIt has been two years since the Royal Commission into Family Violence delivered its report, presenting a once-in–a-generation opportunity to examine the family violence system from the ground up. An unprecedented level of investment followed, along with a commitment to implement all 227 recommendations. The Two years on from the Royal Commission into Family Violence report provides an overview of the progress made over the last 12 months in response to the Royal Commission report. The principles that inform Victoria’s perpetrator interventionsThe Expert Advisory Committee on Perpetrator Interventions has endorsed the principles that should inform perpetrator interventions, following extensive consultation across government. The principles were developed in response to recommendation 85 of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. They are intended to provide high level guidance and a shared sense of purpose to Victoria’s system of services and agencies that deliver family violence perpetrator interventions, or have contact with perpetrators. These principles will also inform the design of future perpetrator interventions. Keeping children safe through vital information sharingThe Victorian Government is implementing key legislative reform that will improve family violence assessment and risk management and allow greater information sharing to keep adults and children safe and hold perpetrators to account for their actions. Rollout of the redeveloped Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework, the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme and the proposed Child Wellbeing and Safety Information Sharing Scheme (when it receives Royal Assent) will be aligned from September 2018, to promote children’s safety and wellbeing and ensure family violence reform is systemic and enduring. More than 600 practitioners and managers in workforces that play a core role in assessing and managing family violence risks have been trained to use the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme. Increasing support for sexual assault victim-survivorsThe government this month announced an additional $417,000 to support victim-survivors of sexual assault to ensure their needs are met and their voices heard. It includes more than $270,000 for sexual assault service CASA House to recruit more staff. CASA House is attached to the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne and provides crisis care around the clock as well as counselling, support groups and community and professional education. It's what you don't see...A new project run by the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency titled ‘It’s what you don’t see’ was launched this month as part of the Victorian Government’s Indigenous Family Violence Strategy Community Initiatives Fund. 'It’s what you don’t see' encourages community healing by featuring four short films that focus on an Aboriginal family and their exposure to family violence, with a fifth film featuring three Aboriginal leaders from the northern metropolitan community reflecting on the films and the impact of family violence from a therapeutic perspective. The films highlight the impacts of family violence on Aboriginal children including a lack of concentration and behaviour at school, anxiety, anger, repeating learnt behaviours and the cycle of family violence. Boosting behavioural change to keep families safeEvery Victorian deserves to live in a home free from violence. The Victorian Government is protecting victims of family violence by boosting programs that encourage perpetrators to change their attitudes and behaviour. The government recently announced the release of a new and enhanced men’s behaviour change program model, alongside more than $9.1 million for additional places in men’s behaviour change programs and $2.3 million for men’s intake and referral services. This investment will support the delivery of more than 4,000 community-based men’s behaviour change places in 2018-19 – an increase of more than 500 places state-wide – by 32 community organisations. Helping LGBTI communities get the support they needA passionate group of stakeholders from key LGBTI family violence service providers and community organisations met in March to develop key messages about family violence for a range of LGBTI family violence initiatives. People from LGBTI communities experience multiple barriers to identification, reporting and accessing safe and appropriate supports. One key barrier identified by the Royal Commission into Family Violence is the lack of visibility of LGBTI people in family violence resources and campaigns. Royal Commission recommendation 168(a) and (b) seeks to address this by supporting the development of legal and other resources to assist LGBTI people to identify and respond to family violence, and a subsequent education and awareness campaign to promote the resources. Rainbow Tick Accreditation welcome session A welcome session was held at Family Safety Victoria on 28 March for the first eleven family violence service providers that will undertake Rainbow Tick accreditation as per Royal Commission into Family Violence Recommendation 167. The Rainbow Tick accreditation was developed by GLHV to help service organisations move from LGBTI-friendly to LGBTI-inclusive services and to guarantee that their services were responsive to and met the particular needs of their LGBTI consumers. The session included an overview of the Rainbow Tick accreditation process by GLHV, and panel discussion and Q&A session with the National Accreditation Team, Quality Innovation Performance (QIP). Strengthening Responses to Family Violence ProjectRosie Batty, Chair of the Victim Survivors' Advisory Council, this month launched the Strengthening Responses to Family Violence Project at Peninsula Health in Frankston. The initiative supports a ‘whole-of-hospital’ model for responding to family violence in public hospitals and relates to Recommendation 95 of the Royal Commission into Family Violence which calls for a model for responding to family violence in public hospitals. The project aims to increase staff competence, develop and share resources and build hospital capacity across Victoria to respond to family violence and improve outcomes for patients who have experienced family violence. More homes for family violence victimsThe Victorian Government is helping more Victorian women and children fleeing family violence find safe rental accommodation thanks to an expanded leasing program. More than $4 million in new funding for the Rapid Housing Program will support access to homes for victim-survivors. Under the program, homes are leased from private owners by community housing agencies, which sublet them to women and children at below market rent. The Victorian Government has also delivered 20 affordable homes in Melbourne’s inner-west for women and children escaping family violence. Working with councils to stop family violenceThe Victorian Government is partnering with councils to promote gender equality to stop the scourge of family violence, with the launch of $2.4 million for primary prevention grants in family violence. Engine room wrap-upThe Expert Advisory Committee on Perpetrator Interventions At this meeting the Committee advised on three critical family violence reform streams which will enhance both system and individual perpetrator accountability within Victoria:
The Committee is due to present its final report to government in mid-2018. For the remainder of its term, the Committee will continue to develop and refine its advice focused on perpetrator system integration, directions for new perpetrator interventions, and ensuring outcomes are supported by robust evaluation. Indigenous Family Violence Partnership Forum The Partnership Forum met in San Remo, with the Inner Gippsland Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Group hosting. In sessions led by Partnership Forum members, the group endorsed a high-level framework for the new Aboriginal 10 Year Family Violence Plan, including guiding principles, strategic priorities and a definition of self-determination in a family violence context. Members also discussed the design and implementation of Aboriginal-led family violence prevention and early intervention funding. A sub-working group will be established to draft program parameters. An update on the implementation of the Support and Safety Hubs was provided to members. FSV has committed to embedding Aboriginal representation within the Hub governance and leadership structures. This includes the proposal to establish an Aboriginal Advisory Group in each of the five Hub launch areas to:
It is proposed that these advisory groups be inclusive of local Aboriginal services and community members across Hub areas, and include representation from the Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Groups (IFVRAGs). Members were advised of the launch of the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme, and the progress of the Holistic Healing Project which is approaching its testing and refining phase. In addition, FSV informed members of recent changes that have been implemented to better support the Partnership Forum and IFVRAGs. This includes the transfer of the Statewide Coordinator role to the Aboriginal Policy and Engagement Team and support for Partnership Forum members to attend relevant conferences and events. These changes recognise the crucial leadership role of the Partnership Forum in influencing family violence reforms. The next Partnership Forum will be hosted by the Northern Metropolitan Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Group on 22-23 May 2018. Family Violence Steering Committee Government representatives provided an overview of the reform coordination and mapping work underway, offering insight into strategies to link family violence reforms across different parts of government. Key experts in the field, as well as departmental representatives, provided an overview of the gaps, trends, reforms and opportunities to create better responses to the issue of adolescent family violence in the home. The New Zealand Parliamentary Under-secretary for the Justice (Sexual and Domestic Violence Issues) portfolio, Jan Logie MP, attended this meeting as a special guest of Co-Chair, the Hon Gavin Jennings MLC, Special Minister of State. Diverse Communities and Intersectionality Working Group At the first DCI Working Group meeting of 2018. members were updated on the progress of the strategy and briefed on the outcomes of the stakeholder forum held on 31 January, as the primary reference group for the development of the FSV Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.. Members provided feedback on the high-level structure of the strategy and discussed key issues. All members are invited to a second stakeholder forum consultation session on 29 March at the Queen Victoria Women's Centre. Members were updated on the Support and Safety Hubs, and participated in a workshop activity to identify actions that will ensure the Hubs are inclusive of all diverse communities. Feedback received through the workshop will help inform the development of a Hubs Inclusion Plan. The next DCI Working Group meeting is scheduled for 19 April 2018. Victim Survivors' Advisory Council VSAC continues it work, meeting and consulting across a broad range of government and sector agencies and organisations to bring the voice of victim-survivors and their lived experiences of family violence to the reforms. Over the last few months members have had the opportunity to meet and inform work being undertaken by the Family Violence Magistrate's Court, specifically looking at how an information hotline would assist women and families attending or participating in court hearings. VSAC also continue to engage with the Support and Safety Hubs design and rollout process, contributing valuable insights and feedback as they test various systems and intended practices that eventually will be embedded across the 17 Support and Safety Hubs. In addition to these activities, members regularly meet with the Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor, Tim Cartwright, to see just how effective and integral the work of the Council is as the whole-of-government response to the Royal Commission takes place. For the calendarBookmark the family violence reform events page and stay up to date with events in 2018. Follow us on TwitterFamily Safety Victoria has launched a dedicated Twitter account – you can find us using the handle @FamilySafetyVic We want to hear from you!Send your photos, videos, key dates or any other information to share@familysafety.vic.gov.au |