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Edition 13 - Nov 2022
Dear colleagues
The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 has finally been released. While the previous plan and an earlier draft made reference to alcohol and other drugs (AOD) from the perspective of adult using violence and potential interventions, there was no mention of the complexities faced by victim survivors who use AOD within the service system. Earlier this year we therefore advocated for additional consideration be given to this client group as part of the response strategy - and we're happy to note that some of our feedback has been included within the new report. To read/download the report, click here. Here's what you need to know for November:
- Annual survey report: A report summarising the findings from the Family Violence AOD Community of Practice 2022-2023 annual report is now available to view on the VAADA website. See here.
- Community of Practice event: Risk assessments with victim survivors - Wednesday 16 November - with Safe and Equal. Register here.
- VAADA Conference: Shifting Landscapes - Building the Holistic Treatment Mosaic
(9-10 February 2023). For theme, registration, abstract submissions - click here. - Advanced MARAM workshop: Advanced Techniques for Difficult Family Violence Conversations. To register, complete this EOI.
- New report: Opening Doors: Ensuring LGBTIQ-inclusive family, domestic and sexual violence services. Read the report here and the practitioner's guide.
- NADA Webinar: Scroll down for a fantastic webinar - including a role-play scenario - of what engaging men who use violence in an AOD treatment context might look like.
Thank you
Dejan Jotanovic
P.S. See something missing, or something that you think other clinicians, team leads or organisational leaders need to be made aware? Let us know! We're happy to receive any and all editorial input. You can email us at familyviolence@vaada.org.au.
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.
Annual survey report
Thank you to all who took the time to complete our 2022-2023 Family Violence AOD Community of Practice annual survey.
A report summarising the findings of the survey is now available to view and download on the VAADA website. These findings will be used in planning and steering all COP activities for the following year. They also provide a state-wide baseline in how confident AOD clinicians and leadership is applying MARAM and the Information Sharing Schemes to their own work. Click here to view/download the report.
Upcoming COP event
Risk Assessments help us understand the level of risk experienced by the victim survivor we're working with – what does best practice look?
Wednesday 16 November 2022
10am - 11.30am
The MARAM Practice Guides for working with victim survivors places performing Risk Assessments as core business for AOD clinicians (see Responsibility 3). Which questions should we be asking our clients when identifying risk within their story? How do we assess the level of risk, and what is its evidence base?
What does applying a Structured Professional Judgement look like, and what can we ask to ensure we’re embedding an intersectional analysis into our inclusive practice? When should we use the Brief tool, instead of the Intermediate?
Join us on Wednesday 16 November, 10am-11.30am as we work through performing Risk Assessments with clients identified as Victim Survivors. Leading the session will be Safe+Equal, the peak body for specialist family violence services that provide support to victim survivors in Victoria, who will perform a series of case studies and role-plays to learn first-hand what best practice might look like.
Please bring any case examples and questions to the session so that our specialist family violence experts can help you sharpen your practice.
VAADA Conference
Shifting Landscapes - Building the Holistic Treatment Mosaic
9 -10 February 2023
Pullman Melbourne on the Park Hotel
Service deliverers are becoming increasingly aware that to deal with consumer needs and complexity effectively, a holistic approach can bring significant benefits. The recent Royal Commissions into Victoria’s Mental Health System and Family Violence have prioritised reform headlined by holistic approaches. This includes implementing reforms to embrace the intersection of multiple issues and the means to address them.
The Victorian Community based AOD system sits at a crossroads with many of the issues faced by other sectors and often with shared consumers.
VAADA’s 2023 Conference, Shifting landscapes – Building the holistic treatment mosaic is VAADA's first state wide sector conference since 2019. It will seek to unpack the many issues impacting our Victorian AOD system and our cross-sectoral colleagues. We are looking to consider the importance of mutually shared problems and approaches, including the sort of collaboration that can make a difference.
Call for abstracts
Abstracts are invited for oral presentations. Oral Presentations are a maximum of 25 minutes. Your presentation must be at least 15 minutes long. Click here for more information, including abstract submission guidelines and the submission form.
Registration
Registration for the conference is now open! Early bird registrations are open from now until the beginning of December. Click here for pricing and registration.
Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities
For sponsorship (including gold, silver and bronze packages) and exhibitor opportunities, please contact the Conference Committee, at conference@vaada.org.au
Professional development and training
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 live training you may be interested in:
- Nov 10 - Youth AOD 6 – A framework for including families in young people’s care
- Nov 17 - Superskills Supervision Specifics for Group Settings
- Nov 21 - Peer Worker Training
- Nov 23 - Trauma and Harm Reduction in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
New self-paced eLearns:
Click here to view all training
Advanced MARAM workshop: Advanced Techniques for Difficult Family Violence Conversations
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare have just opened 6 new sessions for their new workshop, Advanced Techniques for Difficult Family Violence Conversations.
Learning objectives:
- Understand why a victim-survivor may be reluctant to engage in a conversation about family violence
- Learn strategies to enhance victim-survivor engagement
- Consider engagement with clients at higher risk of disengagement
- Consider how to explore a family violence disclosure in a way that maintains engagement
To register for these sessions, log-in via the Centre for Excellence LMS or complete this EOI and their team will make you a profile and send you instructions with how to register.
Unsure which MARAM training is right for you? Consult the MARAM training decision tree.
Family Violence in the news
"The new 10-year national plan stresses the importance of engaging with men and boys, and the need to target sexual violence in all settings." Read more on SBS.
"More Victorians will have access to wraparound supports to help them deal with family law issues with the launch of the expanded Family Advocacy and Support Services (FASS) in October." Read more on Legalaid.vic.gov.au
"Millions of Australian workers will soon be eligible for 10 days of paid domestic violence leave each year." Read more on The Standard.
"Victoria’s anti-corruption commission fundamentally failed a woman who was abused by her police officer spouse, with delays in the handling of her case meaning a second officer who leaked her escape plan could not be prosecuted, a report has found." Read more on The Guardian
"Not everyone looks forward to the Melbourne Cup. Domestic violence and emergency services ready themselves for a potential increase in calls, call-outs and admissions." Read more on The Conversation.
"Australia's plan to end violence against women and children will be spearheaded by Micaela Cronin." Read more on The Bendigo Advertiser.
Resources to support your practice
MARAM Person Using Violence Guides: What Now? Web Series
All recordings for No To Violence's webinar series - "What Now?" - are now available to view online. 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. Click here for more information.
NTV: Updated Referral Pathways
No To Violence have updated their referral pathways for working with people using violence. The update to their resource page also includes two new helpful documents:
- Types of program referrals – a table with different types of program referrals and conversation prompts
- Making specialist referrals for people using violence – tips on making referrals when working with adult clients who are using violence
For more information, see their Referral pathways resource page and click on the “Referral Pathways General Information” drop-down banner. The page also includes a map/list of relevant referral services.
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.
Opening Doors investigates current challenges faced by LGBTIQ people in Australia when seeking help after experiencing FDSV, as well as promising moves towards safe and affirming service provision in different sectors and organisations. Read the report and the Guide for practitioners.
If in doubt, remember to consult the MARAM Navigator on the VAADA website, or reach out to your Specialist Family Violence Advisers for a consult.
Watch this webinar
The fine folks at NADA delivered this webinar earlier this year. The webinar features an excellent role-play between an AOD clinician and a client, showcasing what non-collusive practice might look like. Please note that the webinar was delivered for a NSW audience so some of the context might be different (e.g. identifying and responding to family violence is core business under MARAM here in Victoria)
Engaging men who use violence in an AOD treatment context
Collusion, within the context of domestic and family violence (DFV), occurs when a practitioner, agency or system excuses, minimises or justifies a perpetrator’s violence towards family members. Collusion can take many forms – at a practitioner level it can be expressed through a nod of agreement or a sympathetic smile (whether inadvertent or deliberate) when a man expresses a violence-supporting attitude or belief, or through not raising the issue of a client’s use of DFV when the client knows the practitioner is aware of his behaviour. Read more.
Support directory
Secondary consultations
Are you working with someone who has, is, or you suspect will use or experience family violence? Here is who you can contact for additional support and guidance by calling to ask for a secondary consultation:
Organisation
Men's Referral Service
SafeSteps
1800 RESPECT
Rainbow Door
Queerspace
With Respect
MensLine Australia
Djirra
Elizabeth Morgan House
VACCA
Sexual Assault Crisis Line Victoria (SACL)
InTouch
Seniors Rights Victoria
Type
People using violence
Victim survivors
Victim survivors
LGBTIQA+
LGBTIQA+
LGBTIQA+
Men as victim survivors
First Nations
First Nations
First Nations
Victim survivors of sexual assault
Culturally and linguistically diverse communities
Elder abuse
Contact
1300 766 491
1800 015 188
1800 737 732
1800 729 367
03 9663 6733
1800 542 847
1300 78 99 78
1800 105 303
03 9482 5744
03 8727 0200
1800 806 292
1800 755 988
1300 368 821
Please contact your local Specialist Family Violence Advisor (SFVA) for secondary consults, advice and support. You can find their contact details on VAADA’s Family Violence page.
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
Contact us if you're unsure and we'll help refer you; familyviolence@vaada.org.au
