Rhys Lawry – Page 4 – Violence Against Women and Children

Humphreys, C. (2023, 30 January). Domestic Violence Linked to Alcohol Use is A National Emergency. Pursuit.

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: January 30, 2023 2023 , Publication

”Alcohol and other drug use increases the severity of violence towards victim survivors, but the drug and alcohol sector and the domestic violence sector remain stubbornly siloed.”

In this Pursuit article, Professor Cathy Humphreys drew attention to data on increased numbers of domestic-related assaults and alcohol-related assaults recorded in Alice Springs between 2021-2022, to highlight the intersection between domestic and family violence and alcohol and other drugs in Australia. In particular, Professor Humphreys discussed experiences of violence where alcohol and other drug use is part of the tactics of coercive control used by perpetrators, and emphasised the role of wholistic service responses in this area.

Read the article

Citation:
Humphreys, C. (2023, 30 January). Domestic Violence Linked to Alcohol Use is A National Emergency. Pursuit. https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/domestic-violence-linked-to-alcohol-use-is-a-national-emergency

BPD Community Relational Support

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: December 23, 2022 Current Project

Abstract: This project aimed to explore relational support as an area of learning and intervention contributing to more positive relationships, recovery, and wellbeing for people with lived experience of BPD. This study focused on family, friends and carers of someone with BPD as a priority group in the BPD community, and an identified gap in research and literature. This project aimed to contribute to the emerging discourse surrounding the role of relationships and social connection in recovery from BPD and support for family, friends, and carers, and provide an initial evidence base for further inquiry in this under-researched and complex area.

Researchers: Dr Anneliese Spiteri-Staines & Jasmin Isobe

Funders: Melbourne Disability Institute

Partner Organisations: BPD Community

Project Dates: March to October 2022

Contact: Dr Anneliese Spiteri-Staines

Final Project Report

Exploring relational support for the BPD community: Final project report (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: December 23, 2022 2022 , Publication

This project aimed to explore relational support as an area of learning and intervention contributing to more positive relationships, recovery, and wellbeing for people with lived experience of BPD. This study focused on family, friends and carers of someone with BPD as a priority group in the BPD community, and an identified gap in research and literature. This project aimed to contribute to the emerging discourse surrounding the role of relationships and social connection in recovery from BPD and support for family, friends, and carers, and provide an initial evidence base for further inquiry in this under-researched and complex area.

Download project report

Researchers: Anneliese Spiteri-Staines, Jasmin Isobe

Year: 2022

Citation: Spiteri-Staines, A., & Isobe, J. (2022). Exploring relational support for the BPD community: Final project report. Melbourne: University of Melbourne.

Beyond co‐occurrence: addressing the intersections of domestic violence, mental health and substance misuse. (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: June 16, 2022 2022 , Publication

This paper reports an Australian project designed to simultaneously explore and capacity build professional practice when working at the intersection of parental mental health and/or problematic substance use and domestic violence (DV). Data from this paper are derived from two main sources: observations and ethnographic notes obtained during 28 Community of Practice (CoP) meetings and semi-structured interviews with 28 CoP participants. Participants were front-line workers from a range of government and non-government organizations providing services to families experiencing DV across three Australian states who participated in The STACY Project: Safe and Together Addressing ComplexitY.

Thematic analysis was employed to examine the research questions:

How do professionals and organizations understand and respond to families experiencing DV, parental mental health difficulties and problematic substance use issues?
How did practitioners report participation in the STACY Project reorienting professional practice with families experiencing DV, parental mental health difficulties, and substance misuse issues?

This paper reports workers’ exploration of practice implications. The research found that ‘domestic violence blind’ practice has become entrenched at the intersections of child protection, substance misuse and mental health problems, but a shared framework could bring practitioners from diverse sectors together to generate new ways of working with these complex problems.

Access Document

Participatory practice guideline development at the intersections of domestic and family violence, mental distress and/or parental substance use (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: June 16, 2022 2022 , Publication

It is well established that the service system has a poor history of responding holistically to address the needs of children and families living with co-occurring complexities such as domestic violence, parental mental health and/or substance use. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to primarily describe the developmental process used to create guidelines to inform practice at the intersections of domestic violence, mental health and alcohol and other drug services, ensuring that the tactics of coercive control are visible in contexts of complexity.

Access Document

Response to the Draft National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: June 16, 2022 2022 , Publication

In this response to the 2022 Draft National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, Professor Cathy Humphreys highlighted the lack of attention to the issue of substance use as an integral part of coercive control and the tactics of abuse.

Access Document

Researchers: Humphreys, C.

Year: 2022

Citation: Humphreys, C. (2022). Response to the Draft National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.

ESTIE Research Report (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: May 26, 2022 2022 , Publication

The ESTIE Research Report provides comprehensive details on the background, methodology, practice findings and implications of the ESTIE action research study that both investigated and developed practitioner and organisational capacity to drive improvements in collaborative and holistic service provision for children and families living with DFV where parental issues of mental health and/or alcohol and other drug use co-occur. The report is designed for policy makers, researchers and those interested in the research processes and findings from ESTIE, and includes discussion of capacity-building and practice change components of the project.

Access Document

Briefing on Substance Use Coercion – Response to the National Consultation on Coercive Control (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: April 21, 2022 2022 , Publication

To follow up the National Consultation on Coercive Control held 7th November 2022, Professor Cathy Humphreys wrote this short briefing on substance use coercion, an issue she raised at the consultation. Prof Humphreys discussed her concerns regarding the lack of identification of substance use coercion amongst the elements identified in the Consultation Paper that contribute to coercive controlling tactics.

Download Document

ESTIE Quick Reference Guide: A worker’s guide to support practice at the intersections (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: March 8, 2022 2022 , Publication

The ESTIE Quick Reference Guide is a desktop prompt for workers practising at the intersections of domestic and family violence (DFV), mental health, alcohol and other drug use, and child protection. It is a quick reference companion document to the ESTIE Practice Resource and should not be used without reference to the fuller explanations contained in the ESTIE Practice Resource.

Download Quick Reference Guide

Authors: Toivonen, C., Kertesz, M., Lauw, M., Humphreys, C., Isobe, J., Links, E., & Laing, L.

Year: 2022

Citation: Toivonen, C., Kertesz, M., Lauw, M., Humphreys, C., Isobe, J., Links, E., & Laing, L. (2022). ESTIE Quick Reference Guide: A worker’s guide to support practice at the intersections. University of Melbourne, Melbourne and Ministry of Health, NSW.

ESTIE Practice Resource: Evidence based guidelines to support the implementation of the Safe & Together approach (2022)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: March 8, 2022 2022 , Publication

This Practice Resource is designed for any worker practising at the intersections of domestic and family violence, mental health, and alcohol and other drug use, with families who are challenged by any or all of these issues. It provides detailed guidance, examples, and tips, and can be used, for example, in training and supporting staff, as a foundational reference for practice development, and continuous improvement.

Download Practice Resource

Authors: Toivonen, C., Lauw, M., Isobe, J., Links, E., Kertesz, M., Mandel, D., Laing, L. & Humphreys, C.

Year: 2022

Citation: Toivonen, C., Lauw, M., Isobe, J., Links, E., Kertesz, M., Mandel, D., Laing, L. & Humphreys, C. (2022) ESTIE Practice Resource: Evidence based guidelines to support the implementation of the Safe & Together approach. Ministry of Health, NSW and University of Melbourne, Melbourne.