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Author: Rhys Lawry

Stop It Now!

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

Abstract:

Stop It Now! is an early intervention program that operates in North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the Netherlands, and has also previously operated on a small scale in Queensland, Australia. The central aim of the Stop It Now! service is to protect children and prevent child sexual abuse.

Stop It Now!’s key feature is a confidential phone helpline that provides information and support for people who are worried about their own sexual thoughts and behaviours in relation to children, as well as parents, family-members, and professionals who are concerned about actual or potential child sexual abuse. The service is staffed by highly skilled practitioners with expertise in working with people who may have perpetrated child sexual abuse. The University of Melbourne is undertaking the evaluation of Stop it Now! Australia in partnership with Jesuit Social Services.

Researchers:

Dr Gemma McKibbin, Julie Green, Prof Cathy Humphreys

Funders/Partner organisation:

Funding: Westpac grant

Partners: Jesuit Social Services, Google

Project Dates: Jan 2021 – Dec 2023

Contact: Dr Gemma McKibbin
T: 0437 281 543
E: gemma.mckibbin@unimelb.edu.au

DICE: Disrupting child sexual exploitation

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

Abstract:

The DICE project builds upon the work of Power to Kids as well as other multiagency initiatives such as the work of the Victorian Office of Professional Practice (Enhanced Response Model and Sexual Exploitation Protocol), to address the need for further development of a collaborative prevention and disruption approach to child sexual exploitation.

The project aims to explore implementation of three primary elements of an enhanced CSE response – trauma-informed disruptive policing; multiagency working; and attention to children and young people going missing from residential and home-based statutory care as a consequence of CSE – across sites in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland and with support from Department of Social Services (DSS), the Australian Federal Police, and the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).

DICE includes the following PhD projects:

Researchers:

Prof Cathy Humphreys, Dr Gemma McKibbin, Prof Stuart Ross, Julie Green (all University of Melbourne), Prof Ben Mathews, (QUT) Assoc. Prof Susan Heward-Belle (University of Sydney), Assoc. Prof Lisa Gold (Deakin University)

Funders/Partner organisation:

Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant with 11 partners:

Project Dates: Feb 2022 – Feb 2025

Contact: Dr Gemma McKibbin
T: 0437 281 543
E: gemma.mckibbin@unimelb.edu.au

KODY. An all-of-family response to co-occurring substance use and domestic violence: protocol for a quasi-experimental intervention trial.

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

Abstract:

This study aims to build on the existing evidence by trialling the KODY program which addresses harmful substance use by men who also perpetrate domestic violence; the safety and wellbeing of women and children; the needs of children in their own right, as well as in relationship with their mothers; and the development of an ‘all-of-family’ service response. The evaluation of these innovations, and the ramifications for policy development to support less fragmented service system responses, provide the rationale for the study.

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Read more about the KODY project

Authors: Dr Margaret Kertesz, Prof Cathy Humphreys, Larissa Fogden, Dr Katreena Scott, Dr Anne-Marie Laslett & Dr Menka Tsantefski

Year: 2022

Citation: Kertesz, M., Humphreys, C., Fogden, L., Scott., Laslett, A-M. & Tsantefski, M. (2022) KODY, an all-of-family response to co-occurring substance use and domestic violence: protocol for a quasi-experimental intervention trial. BMC Open, 291

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12529-x

Power to Kids: Process & Outcomes Evaluation

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: February 17, 2022

Abstract:

The Power to Kids program seeks to strengthen prevention and early intervention efforts in response to sexual exploitation, harmful sexual behavior and dating violence in residential care. This is achieved through: upskilling carers about sexual health and safety knowledge; building carers capabilities to prevent, identify and intervene early when they see indicators of abuse; and increasing children and young people’s understanding of healthy relationships and sexual safety. Power to Kids was piloted in MacKillop Family Services’ residential homes and is now being implemented across all MacKillop residential care homes. This process and outcomes evaluation aims to explore the implementation and impacts of Power to Kids as it is upscaled across MacKillop residential care.

Researchers: Dr Gemma McKibbin, Esther Gallois, Anna Bornemisza, Prof Cathy Humphreys

Funders/Partner organisation: Mackillop Family Services

Project Dates: Jan – Dec 2022

Contact: Dr Gemma McKibbin
T: 0437 281 543
E: gemma.mckibbin@unimelb.edu.au

Work With Us: Power to Kids – PhD Studentship

Overview

A full-time graduate research studentship is available for a suitable PhD candidate in the Power to Kids action research project. The studentship is offered by MacKillop Family services (MacKillop) in collaboration with the University of Melbourne. We are seeking a PhD candidate with an interest in research focused on prevention and response to child sexual abuse and domestic and family violence, as well as on the out-of-home care sector.

Benefits

The PhD studentship is valued at $40,000 per annum and is indexed and tax exempt. This studentship is for three years and can potentially be extended for up to six months, subject to satisfactory progress toward timely completion.

Closes: Wednesday 23 March 2022

Position description

“Never waste a crisis”: Domestic and family violence policy and practice initiatives in response to COVID-19 (DAHLIA-19)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: December 9, 2021 ,

Abstract:

This report describes the activities undertaken in 2020-21 by the University of Melbourne with Kids First and Odyssey Across the world, the risks of experiencing DFV have increased due to restrictions put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. While a number of policy initiatives and innovative practices have emerged to address these heightened risks, not much is known about their impact. ANROWS and the University of Melbourne have been working in partnership on DAHLIA-19, an international research study exploring domestic and family violence service provision – and in particular, innovative practice – in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research has taken place in Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa, and is funded by the UKRI’s Economic and Social Research Council. This report looks broadly at Australian initiatives that were implemented during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic up until June 2021 highlighting innovations and practices within the sector and considerations for policy and practice moving forward.

Download a PDF of this report

Researchers: McKibbin, G., Humphreys, C., Gallois, E., Robinson, M., Sijnja, J., Yeung, J. & Goodbourn, R. 

Year: 2021

Citation: McKibbin, G., Humphreys, C., Gallois, E., Robinson, M., Sijnja, J., Yeung, J. & Goodbourn, R. (2021) AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY REPORT “Never waste a crisis”: Domestic and family violence policy and practice initiatives in response to COVID-19 (DAHLIA-19) Sydney: ANROWS

The KODY Project: Report on the development of an all-of-family intervention at the intersections of DFV and AOD (2021)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: November 17, 2021 ,

Abstract:

This report describes the activities undertaken in 2020-21 by the University of Melbourne with Kids First and Odyssey House Victoria to develop KODY, an all-of-family intervention at the intersections of DFV and AOD. These activities were supported by a Learning Systems Grant Report for the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare. The report includes an overview of the practice-research partnership, achievements of the KODY Project, the program theory of change, marketing materials and outcomes evaluation measures.

Download a PDF of this report

Read more about the KODY project

Researchers: Kertesz, M., Fogden, L. and Humphreys, C.

Year: 2021

Citation: Kertesz, M., Fogden, L. and Humphreys, C. (2021) The KODY Project: Report on the development of an all-of-family intervention at the intersections of DFV and AOD. Melbourne: University of Melbourne.

KODY: Researching an all-of-family program in family violence & substance misuse

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: October 19, 2021

The KODY research project (Kids First (Caring Dads) and Odyssey House Victoria (Kids in Focus) surrounds the innovative KODY intervention which aims to address the combined impact of harmful behaviours, drugs and alcohol on family relationships. The KODY program takes an all-of-family approach incorporating a group program for men, AOD counselling and family support within a collaboration between Kids First Australia and Odyssey House. The research project, led by academic researchers and practice leaders, investigates how we address the families living at the intersection of violence and substance misuse; the combined impacts of DFV and AOD for families; how AOD is used as a tactic of power and control in men’s perpetration of DFV and in their parenting; and the implications for service responses and policy development. The research project involves the following components:

  1. Trial of the KODY program including process and developmental evaluation.
  2. Outcomes evaluation of the KODY program including refinement of outcomes measures.
  3. An all-of-family approach to multisectoral AOD and DFV responses.
  4. Safe integration of children’s perspectives into practice.
  5. Cross-sectoral collaboration strategies and implications for policy.

KODY includes the following PhD project:

Publications:

Researchers:

  • Prof. Cathy Humphreys (University of Melbourne)
  • Dr Margaret Kertesz (University of Melbourne)
  • Van Callaly (University of Melbourne)
  • Mael Guillou (University of Melbourne)
  • Hanh Nguyen (University of Melbourne)
  • Prof. Katreena Scott (Western University)
  • Dr Anne-Marie Laslett (Latrobe University)
  • Dr Menka Tsantefski (Griffith University)

Funders: Australian Research Council (Project ID: LP200200847)

Partner Organisations:

  • Kids First Australia
  • Odyssey House Victoria
  • Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing

Project Dates: 2021–2024

Contact:
Dr Margaret Kertesz
Email: mkertesz@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 9035 8508

Beyond the Victim-offender Binary: Legal and Anti-violence Intervention Considerations With Women Who Have Used Force in the U.S. and Australia (2021)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: June 16, 2021 ,

In the United States (U.S.) and Australian contexts, the fight to achieve legal and societal recognition of cisgender men’s violence against cisgender women operated according to an incident-based victim-offender binary. Those held accountable for the violence were seen as offenders, those who survived the violence were seen as victims. This binary persists across police, court, corrections, intervention, and child protection settings. However, work with cisgender heterosexual women with offenses of abuse and violence demonstrates that the binary does not capture their complex experiences. Instead, they have “offended” in the context of often surviving long-term harm in their families of origin and from their intimate partners. Because their experiences do not align with the binary, they are caught in ineffective and retraumatizing responses.

The authors use an intersectional theoretical framework to explore how heterosexual cisgender women’s use of force complicates the victim-offender binary. By understanding women who have used force as having both survived and caused harm, rather than “victims” or “offenders,” the authors call attention to the limitations of, and harm caused by, binary approaches. The authors also call for a reconceptualization beyond the binary—challenging established legal and intervention frameworks. To demonstrate the need for this reconceptualization, the authors report on U.S. and Australian legal cases, intervention approaches, and discuss socio-legal systems implications.

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Read more about the Women who use force Project

Researchers: Larance, L. Y., Kertesz, M., Humphreys, C., Goodmark, L., & Douglas, H.

Year: 2021

Citation: Larance, L. Y., Kertesz, M., Humphreys, C., Goodmark, L., & Douglas, H. (2021). Beyond the Victim-offender Binary: Legal and Anti-violence Intervention Considerations With Women Who Have Used Force in the U.S. and Australia.  Affilia, 37(3).  https://doi.org/10.1177/08861099211060549

Domestic violence and the impact on young children (2021)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: June 16, 2021 ,

This chapter outlines the impact of domestic violence (DV) on young children. Exposure to DV has detrimental effects on the emotional and behavioural adjustment of significant numbers of children. Impacts on children vary greatly, depending on developmental stage, the longevity, severity and extent of the violence and abuse, the quality of their relationships with caregivers, and the intersection of adversities experienced. While many children living with DV have protective factors that mean that they do as well as those in the general community, outcomes are worst for those children where the violence is chronic and severe and there are few mediating influences.

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Researchers: Kertesz, M., Fogden, L., & Humphreys, C.

Year: 2021

Citation: Kertesz, M., Fogden, L., & Humphreys, C. (2021). Domestic violence and the impact on young children. In Devaney, J., Bradbury-Jones, C., Macy, R., Øverlien, C. and Holt, S. (Eds), The Routledge Handbook of Domestic Violence and Abuse (pp. 128 – 140) London: Routledge.

Practice-led research: Developing communities of practice to drive research and practice change in the domestic and family violence arena (2020)

Posted by: Rhys Lawry Posted on: June 16, 2020 ,

Conducting practice research with migrants and refugees is a complex exercise, involving multiple agendas, diverse actors and varied intercultural relationships. Methodological challenges should not be underestimated, even when the research is conducted by an experienced practice researcher with prior knowledge of the cultural context. Before undertaking cross-cultural research, the practice researcher should consider both backstage and frontstage performativity. Backstage considerations refer to the political and cultural context and implications for trust and reciprocity with migrant and refugee communities. The frontstage performance refers to ethical considerations such as benefice, fidelity and the avoidance of harm by ensuring informed consent, guaranteeing anonymity and privacy, respecting subjects’ rights and applying findings for improved outcomes for clients.

The last consideration is a priority for practice researchers who are genuinely committed to improving the well-being of migrants and the effectiveness of social interventions in achieving improved social justice outcomes. Frontstage performance also involves the selection of methods that are culturally sensitive and safe, negotiating languages and translation and the recruitment of difficult-to-reach participants. Good intentions alone will not guarantee ethical anti-oppressive research.

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Read more about the STACY Project

Researchers: Heward-Belle, S., Humphreys, C., Healey, L., Tsantefski, M., Isobe, J., Toivonen, C., … & Wilde, T.

Year: 2020

Citation: Heward-Belle, S., Humphreys, C., Healey, L., Tsantefski, M., Isobe, J., Toivonen, C., … & Wilde, T. (2020). Practice-led research: Developing communities of practice to drive research and practice change in the domestic and family violence arena. In The Routledge Handbook of Social Work Practice Research (pp. 418-429). Routledge.