Page 1911 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 23 June 2021
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This consistency of language, understanding and approach is a fundamental piece for developing a consistent and integrated domestic violence service model for the ACT. The framework has been tested prior to its finalisation—including a maternal health service. The framework was reviewed by the drug and alcohol sector for consistency with their practices and approach.
A section in the framework on working with the perpetrators of domestic and family violence has now been drafted and is currently with the perpetrator working group for final approval. The results of the framework testing and the development of the perpetrator section will be incorporated in preparation for the release of the final risk assessment framework this year.
I would now like to share with you some of the other work that we are doing to respond to perpetrators. While we must always strive to ensure that there are supports for those impacted by violence, a focus on addressing perpetrators is crucial to preventing violence from happening in the first place.
The innovative Room4Change program run by the Domestic Violence Crisis Service is one of Australia’s only residential men’s behaviour change programs and supports partners and children to stay safely in the home while men are engaged in the six-month program. I am pleased to share that the preliminary evaluation of Room4Change has shown positive outcomes for participants and their families, and I look forward to the full evaluation when it is released this year.
In 2020 a response to the perpetrators working group was established to progress two main areas of work—to create a set of principles and standards for men’s behaviour change programs in the ACT and an accreditation process for those programs, and to develop the perpetrator section of the domestic and family violence risk assessment and management framework.
I am pleased to report that the practice standards are currently in the final stages of development, and the working group is currently reviewing the section on working with perpetrators for inclusion in the risk assessment framework. The working group will soon commence developing the next steps for responses to perpetrators, including consideration of an accreditation process for the practice standards for men’s behaviour change programs. An expert men’s behaviour change organisation has been engaged to provide training for mainstream services on how to better identify and provide referrals for men who are using abuse in their relationships.
There has also been significant progress on establishing the domestic and family violence death review over the last 12 months. This mechanism will review all domestic and family violence related deaths and near-lethal incidents in the ACT and advise on what is needed to prevent deaths and improve system-wide supports and services. Work to establish a model for the death review is ongoing, with policy approval for the death review model now complete. Legislative amendments to establish the domestic and family violence death review and to enable information-gathering powers are now progressing.
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