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Integrated Responses to Family violence

In Victoria, as in other states of Australia and overseas, 'integrated models' of responding to family violence are being explored, after the success of the 'Duluth' model of Minnesota, USA. These responses incorporate the criminal justice system, programs for victims, perpetrators and other services, in a more co-ordinated system geared towards the protection of victims.

The Victorian government's Women's Safety Strategy identifies a move toward an integrated response to family violence as a key direction for Victoria. This strategy has led to the development of the Statewide Steering Committee to Reduce Family Violence, which provides for policy development and co-ordination across goverment.

The Victorian Government has recently implemented its 'Integrated Family Violence Services Strategy' which aims to have community services, police, courts and government working together in a more integrated way. In 2006, 20 partnerships involving around 70 organisations have been funded by the government to deliver 'integrated' services in different regions across Victoria. See the Office for Children website Integrated Family Violence Services pages for information

DVRCV's paper 'Developing an Integrated Response to Family Violence in Victoria'

For more information, see the DVRCV (formerly DVIRC) paper 'Developing an Integrated Response to Family Violence in Victoria - issues and directions' (2004) Download the paper (.pdf 219kb)


This paper is designed to inform the work currently being undertaken in Victorian in the development of an integrated response to domestic violence.
In 2002 DVIRC workers undertook a review of the local and overseas literature on coordinated
and integrated responses to domestic violence.
The following key points emerged from the literature review:

  • A focus on the safety of women and children as the goal of all intervention offers diverse agencies with differing ideological perspectives a way to come together to develop effective integrated responses.
  • Integrated responses to domestic violence may be more effective because they tackle multiple, not just single aspects of the problem; because they make it harder for victims to ‘fall through the cracks’ and for perpetrators to avoid accountability; and possibly also because their effects both for victims and perpetrator may be cumulative.
  • Most integrated responses to date have focussed on the criminal justice systems and crisis responses. Other prevention activities and services that respond to violence have tended to sit outside these systems.
  • Victims of domestic violence, and their advocates, need to be involved in policy and service development and, importantly, in evaluating the effectiveness for victims of integrated and co-ordinated community responses.
  • The networks that develop and implement integrated and co-ordinated responses need to be inclusive in their membership, to be united by a common intervention goal, and to be accountable to victims in their policies and operations.

This paper draws on these findings and presents for discussion:

  • the question of what we mean by an integrated response
  • what goals and principles should guide community intervention
  • current challenges in community responses to domestic violence
  • strategies for integrating responses, particularly across the justice system
  • strategies for effective networking
  • a model for policy development, implementation and evaluation.


We hope that discussion on these questions will assist policy makers and providers to work effectively together to increase the safety of women and children. Download the full paper (pdf)

Other background reading on integrated models in the Australia:

Trends in Interagency Work: Topic Paper (pdf) (downloads a pdf file) by Jane Mulroney, Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, 2003. This paper looks at best practice interagency responses, lessons learned and potential problems to avoid.

Domestic Abuse Intervention Project Provides an overview of the well-known intervention project in Duluth, Minnesota. The site includes information about the project's evaluation, which found that women reported community intervention to be helpful, particularly police intervention, protection orders and shelter services. Some 60 per cent of women felt safer when the abuser was attending non-violence classes. http://www.duluth-model.org/

Evaluating Co-ordinated Community Responses to Domestic Violence. Article by Melanie Shepard, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, USA, 1999. This article looks at the components of a co-ordinated community response and different co-ordination mechanisms. http://www.vaw.umn.edu/Vawnet/ccr.htm

Also on the National Electronic Network on Violence Against Women site is 'Assessing Justice System Response to Violence against Women: A Tool for Communities to Develop Coordinated Responses' (http://www.vaw.umn.edu/Promises/PP3.htm)

For a review of some of the criminal justice issues in the implementation of integrated responses in Australia, see the Issues Paper No. 3: Domestic and family violence: Criminal justice interventions produced by the Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse, written by Robyn Holder.

Literature Review on Models of Coordination and Integration of Service Delivery, Domestic Violence Prevention Unit, Women’s Policy Office, Western Australian Government, Perth. By Jennifer Gardiner (2000). Published on the internet at:
http://www.wa.gov.au/wpdo/dvpu/litreview.pdf

See also our 'Online Document Library - Integrated Responses' for some online Australian documents on this topic.

 

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