2022 – Violence Against Women and Children

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.

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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.

All-of-family responses to children, mothers and fathers accessing services for domestic and family violence in Victoria, Australia (2022)

Posted by: Esther Gallois Posted on: August 19, 2022 2022 , Publication

Abstract While DV is perpetrated in all parts of society, it may be experienced differently, depending upon gender, sexuality, race, and experiences of disadvantage and trauma. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, past and present trauma, impact of colonisation and the legacy of extreme social disadvantage, contribute to higher rates of DV and the further disruption of mother-child bonds through removal of children into out-of-home care. Migrant and refugee families also face challenges relating to racism, culture and migration status.

This policy and practice brief summarises lessons learnt about all- of-family approaches to DV in the context of the Victorian service system, with a focus on Australian research, and evidence developed through Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence projects (see www.saferfamilies.org.au). The recommendations will be useful to decision makers of programs aimed at parenting in the context of DV.

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Researchers Margaret Kertesz, Cathy Humphreys, Harriet MacMillan, Stephanie Brown, Rebecca Giallo, Leesa Hooker, Eva Alisic, Kelsey Hegarty

Year 2022

Citation Kertesz M, Humphreys C, MacMillan H, Brown S, Giallo R, Hooker L, Alisic E, Hegarty K, (2022) All-of-family responses to children, mothers and fathers accessing services for domestic and family violence in Victoria, Australia: Policy and Practice Discussion Paper. Safer Families Centre. University of Melbourne.

The SHEBA project, Safe at Home, Experiences, Barriers and Access

Posted by: Esther Gallois Posted on: August 11, 2022 2022 , Current Project

Abstract: The SHEBA project (Safe at Home, Experiences, Barriers and Access) draws on a strong partnership between researchers (University of Melbourne and University of NSW), Victorian Community Sector organisations providing family violence services (McAuley, Good Shepherd Australia and New Zealand, In-Touch, Centre of Non-Violence) and women with lived experience (The Weavers) to understand the safety and effectiveness of personal safety initiatives and other strategies to keep women and their children safely in their homes. The perspectives of women with lived experience, practitioners and policy workers will be explored with a view to informing policy and practice to strengthen the current Victorian response. Particular attention will be given to women from minority cohorts experiencing compounding issues of discrimination. It will also ascertain the implication for safe at home responses at times of disaster and emergencies.

Researchers: Cathy Humphreys, Kristin Diemer, Jasmin Isobe

Funders/Partner Organisations:

McAuley
www.mcauley.org.au

Good Shepherd Australia and New Zealand
www.goodshep.org.au

InTouch
www.intouch.org.au

Centre for Non-Violence
www.cnv.org.au

Project Dates: July 2022-July 2024

Contact:

Prof Cathy Humphreys
Cathy.humphreys@unimelb.edu.au
Ph: +61 437 392 181

The attitudes and beliefs of the child protection workforce and why they matter to children who live with violence

Posted by: Esther Gallois Posted on: July 28, 2022 2022 , Publication

Abstract In Australia, like other developed countries, there has been an increase in reports to child protection services about children experiencing domestic violence. While there is research on the importance of the skills and knowledge of the child protection workforce for this growing problem, little is available about practitioner attitudes and beliefs. This paper presents findings on research undertaken in New South Wales, which is the most populated state in Australia. The research considered the attitudes and beliefs of the statutory child protection workforce about domestic violence. It relied on a large-scale survey of 1041 child protection practitioners. In order to compare the attitudes and beliefs of child protection workforce with those of the general community, the survey replicated questions from the Australian National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Surveys. Overall, the attitudes and beliefs of the workforce more closely reflected contemporary theory and evidence about domestic violence than those of the community. The research also examined variations in the attitudes and beliefs of the child protection workforce according to practitioner characteristics, finding variations by gender. The implications for the fields of child protection and social work are discussed.

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Researchers Kate Alexander, Prof Cathy Humphreys, A/Prof Sarah Wise, Albert Zhou

Year 2022

Citation Alexander, K., Humphreys, C., Wise, S., & Zhou, A. (2022). The attitudes and beliefs of the child protection workforce and why they matter to children who live with violence. Child & Family Social Work, 1– 12. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12954

“Frantic online searches for help”: design considerations for an online early intervention service addressing harmful sexual behaviour

Posted by: Esther Gallois Posted on: July 28, 2022 2022 , Publication

Abstract Secondary prevention efforts, which target risk and protective factors associated with harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) and seek to intervene early in the trajectory of HSB, are underdeveloped in Australia. This study explored design considerations for an online early intervention service for children and young people worried about their sexual thoughts and behaviours. A trauma-informed child right’s framework underpinned the study, which involved 10 individual interviews with international experts in HSB, and one group interview (n = 3) with Australian practitioners. Analysis was carried out using thematic analysis. Results reflect design considerations in relation to: theoretical approaches; practice frameworks; service delivery components; and helpseeking challenges. Key tensions emerging from the results are discussed, including the need to move beyond binary constructions of victims and perpetrators.

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Researchers Dr Gemma McKibbin, Matt Tyler, Esther Gallois, Dr Anneliese Spiteri-Staines, Prof Cathy Humphreys & Julie Green

Year 2022

Citation McKibbin, G., Tyler, M., Gallois, E., Spiteri-Staines, A., Humphreys, C. & Green, J. (2022) “Frantic online searches for help”: design considerations for an online early intervention service addressing harmful sexual behaviour, Journal of Sexual Aggression, DOI: 10.1080/13552600.2022.2102682

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

Posted by: Esther Gallois Posted on: May 3, 2022 2022 , Publication

Abstract:

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.

Practice-led research engaged practitioners in the development of guidelines to promote an integrated response to working with families experiencing domestic violence, substance use and mental health issues. The integrated approach drew from the Safe & Together model, emphasising partnering with women survivors, pivoting to the perpetrator, focusing on children’s safety and well-being, promoting worker safety, collaborating across agencies and influencing organisational change. The process demonstrated the usefulness of this integrated approach, using practitioner-based examples.

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Researchers:

A/Prof Susan Lynn Heward-Belle, Dr Margaret Kertesz, Prof Cathy Humphreys, A/Prof Menka Tsantefski, Jasmin Isobe

Year:

2022

Citation:

Heward-Belle, S., Kertesz, M., Humphreys, C., Tsantefeski, M. & Isobe, J. (2022). Participatory practice guideline development at the intersections of domestic and family violence, mental distress and/or parental substance use. Advances in Dual Diagnosis, 15, 51-65 https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ADD-12-2021-0017/full/html