Page 1968 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 5 June 2018
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In 2015-16 the financial cost of violence against women and their children in Australia was estimated at $22 billion. There is no measure of the emotional cost. The ACT government’s Coordinator-General for Family Safety has been a driver for an interconnected, whole-of-government and community approach to implementing the government’s commitments to address domestic and family violence. Crucial to this approach has been putting victims and survivors at the centre of the policy and service design.
Utilising a co-design approach the coordinator-general and her team made significant progress during 2017-18 towards the establishment of the family safety hub. The co-design commenced with gathering insights from 20 people affected by domestic and family violence and 50 front-line workers. The insights were published in the insights report honouring the contributions of service providers and families experiencing violence who had contributed. The insights told us that a lot of people and communities who experience violence do not recognise it as violence. In particular, power and control is not recognised as violence by victims, perpetrators or the system.
We learnt that people are offered generic pathways that do not meet their needs or aspirations. For example, some people are afraid to access services and they want a non-legal response that does not involve police or child protection. The insights told us that having a gendered system excludes some people and communities; it does not allow for those who are gender fluid or identify differently.
Communities are seeking culturally competent and trauma informed services that work with the whole community. The insights also told us that there is not enough focus on the children and the impact of the significant trauma they experience. The insights gave us valuable information about how and where people seek help or support. We learnt that trust is critical for seeking help in relation to domestic and family violence. People will disclose their experience of violence with individuals where they have an existing and trusting relationship.
A recent report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare confirmed what we learnt through the co-design for the family safety hub about help seeking. The AIHW reported that five in 10 women and seven in 10 men who experienced violence from a current partner did not seek advice or support after an incident. Of those who did seek support, women were most likely to seek that support from a family member or friend followed by a health professional.
The insights gathered through the co-design for the family safety hub have prompted the government to think differently about the role for a hub in the ACT. It is evident that we do not need a new service with a shiny front door in order to improve access. What we need is a broad range of systemic reforms requiring a new way of working. The co-design highlighted that collaboration is needed to design and test solutions to systemic problems. The insights also provide an evidence base for future reforms.
The family safety hub will bring together community and government and private sector experts and people with a lived experience of violence to develop new solutions
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