Updated monthly, the MARAM Training Calendar lists all upcoming training for AOD clinicians, practitioners, team leaders, managers and CEOs. It also included foundational training in the dynamics of family violence and Information Sharing Schemes.

You can view and download it here.

The Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor has been appointed to independently review the legal provisions supporting the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) and Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework (MARAM).

The Monitor is calling for submissions from organisations and individual practitioners who are impacted by these provisions, and organisations that represent and advocate for family violence victim survivors. 

The Monitor is wanting to hear your and/or your organisation’s views on how effective the legal provisions have been in: 

• facilitating information sharing, and enabling certain organisations to obtain consolidated and up-to-date information from a Central Information Point, for the purposes of establishing, assessing and managing risks of family violence  
• promoting service coordination to maximise the safety of people who have experienced family violence, prevent and reduce family violence to the extent possible, and promote the accountability of perpetrators of family violence for their actions  
• providing a framework for achieving consistency in family violence risk identification, assessment and management.  
The Monitor is also interesting in hearing about any adverse effects associated with the provisions and any suggestions for legislative reform to improve the operation of the FVISS or MARAM. 

How to make a submission 

Visit www.engage.vic.gov.au up until 22 August 2022. 

You can make a submission by:  

• Uploading a document which addresses the topics above. The website includes more detailed questions to help guide your submission if you wish. 
• Simply typing your text into the website to address the Monitor’s questions, without any formal document. 

The Monitor understands that many organisations are under significant pressures. The Monitor welcomes submissions in whatever format and style is manageable for you and your organisation.  

What happens next? 

The Monitor will provide a final report and recommendations to the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence in May 2023. This will include a summary of matters raised through this call for submissions. The report will be tabled in the Victorian Parliament by August 2023.  

Individuals or organisations who make a submission will be asked for permission to publish the submission, either with the name of the organisation or anonymously. Agreement to publish will mean your submission will be published on the Monitor’s website.  
  
Further information 

If you have any queries or would like more information, please contact the Monitor’s office at info@fvrim.vic.gov.au. 

The Women's Services Network (WESNET) is looking for help to increase the evidence base on tech-facilitated abuse. Participation is open to any service worker who supports clients facing tech-facilitated abuse. Read more:

We need your help to increase the evidence-base on technology-facilitated abuse and coercive control and inform the creation of effective and targeted policies and programs.

What is technology-facilitated abuse or coercive control?

Technology-facilitated abuse and technology-facilitated coercive control are broad terms referring to monitoring, stalking, emotionally abusive and controlling behaviours committed through communications, geo-location tools and other technologies.

These behaviours have a cumulative effect on victim-survivors of domestic and family violence over time and can leave many feeling they can’t escape.

How can you help?

If you are a frontline domestic/family violence worker or a related support service worker who has supported clients who have experienced technology-facilitated abuse or technology-facilitated coercive control, we would like to listen to your experiences. Please get in touch with the research team at techfacilitatedabuse@gmail.com

Participation involves completing a one-hour interview via Zoom and participants will be provided with a $50 Coles/Myer voucher for their time.

Elevate! 

The Victorian Government has provided support to VAADA to administer a fully-funded, centralised workforce development program for the AOD sector until December 2022. This training and professional development program - Elevate! - is available to all AOD workforce currently employed within funded AOD services across Victoria. 

Upcoming training you may be interested in:

July 12 - Superskills Supervision Specifics for Residential Settings
July 12 - Advanced Forensic Training
July 14 - 1-day Adolescent Withdrawal Guidelines
July 15 - Family Violence within LGBTI+ Communities: Cultural Sensitivity Training
July 20 - Working with Older People and Substance Use
Aug 2 - Getting the most out of Supervision

Click here to view all training

MARAM Training

eLearn: MARAM Brief and Intermediate eLearn course for practitioners working with victim survivors

• Provider: Department of Health

• Delivery mode: eLearning self-paced (three modules, each module 20-25 minutes)

• The modules cover: a shared understanding of family violence, an introduction to MARAM and the assessment tools, the Structured Professional Judgement model, risk assessment, risk management including working with specialist family violence services and safety planning.

• Register here

Unsure which MARAM training is right for you? Consult the MARAM training decision tree.

Benalla’s rate of family violence still the highest in north-east Victoria

"The Rural City of Benalla continues to have the highest rate of family violence, per capita, in the north-east — although the figure is down from last year." Read more on the Seymour Telegraph. 

Crime in Victoria drops as pandemic rules ease - but pub brawls spike

"Family violence incidents decreased 2.4 per cent over the year to March, with 90,794 incidents reported across the state." Read more on The Age. 

Promoting gender equity key to accessing family violence leave, business says

"Confidentiality and a work environment that champions gender equity are essential to making employees who experience family violence feel they can ask for leave, according to businesses that offer domestic violence leave." Read more on SMH.

Universal paid domestic violence leave to be minister’s first act

"More than eight million Australians will have access to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave by the end of the year as the new government pledges to make workplace equality reforms a priority." Read more on SMH.

Coroner recommends specialist domestic violence police stations following Doreen Langham death

"A coroner investigating the domestic violence murder of Queensland woman Doreen Langham has concluded police "failed to take even the most basic steps" to apprehend the man threatening her life." Read more on The ABC. 

Religious leaders in Australia still have a long way to go in supporting victims of family violence, research shows

"A world-leading research organisation identifying church values has concluded religious leaders have a long way to go to meet community expectations around supporting victims of domestic and family violence. " Read more on Sight Magazine.

MARAM Person Using Violence Guides: What Now? Web Series

All recordings for No To Violence's webinar series -  "What Now?" - are now available to watch. These webinars were designed and delivered to help workforces familiarise themselves with the MARAM Practice Guides for working with adults using violence. These webinars do not place any upcoming MARAM training.

(video pw: NTVWHATNOW)

Responsibility 1: Respectful,
sensitive and safe engagement AND Responsibility 2: Identification of
family violence risk - Recording

Responsibility 3: Intermediate Risk Assessment - Recordings - Part 1 - Part 2

Responsibility 4: Intermediate Risk Management - Recording

Responsibility 5: Secondary
consultation and referral, including
for comprehensive family violence
assessment and management
response AND Responsibility 6: Contribute to Information Sharing with other
services (as authorised by
legislation) - Recording

Responsibility 9: Contribute to
Coordinated Risk Management AND Responsibility 10: Collaborate for
Ongoing Risk Assessment and Risk
Management - Recording

Free training | Emerging minds

To coincide with NAIDOC Week, Emerging Minds have launched Honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in healing family violence: a free, 90-minute online course co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners and community members.

This course has been co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners and Community members. It approaches the issue of family violence through a positive, trauma-informed, hope-inspired lens, with a focus on reinforcing connections, strengths and skills in the support provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The course will help you to think about the whole family – their hopes, aspirations, strengths and stories of connections to family, kinship, Country and culture – as well as family histories of problems, challenges and trauma. See more details.

Specialist Family Violence Advisers Capacity Building Program Fact Sheet

No to Violence has created a helpful fact sheet to explain and promote the roles and responsibilities of the Victorian Specialist Family Violence Advisors. You can view/download here. 

MARAM and Information Sharing

Contact the Information Sharing and MARAM Enquiry Line for practice and policy guidance.

• 1800 549 646 (10am-2pm, Mon-Fri)

Contact the Specialist Family Violence Adviser in your area

• See the VAADA website for contact details

Contact us if you're unsure and we'll help refer you; familyviolence@vaada.org.au