Working in
family violence

Primary prevention is critical to achieving the vision of a world beyond family and gender-based violence, where women, children and people from marginalised communities are safe, thriving and respected. 

Portraits of Prevention profiles some of the practitioners in the family and gender-based violence prevention workforce.

Set yourself up for a rewarding career in Victoria’s prevention of violence against women sector.

Our strategic direction over the next two years is to grow our leadership role in representing and developing the primary prevention workforce, and building and sharing innovative practice.  

The Partners in Preventin (PiP) Network is a network of more than 4,000 people working to prevent family and gender-based violence in Victoria. The PiP Network facilitates connection, peer learning, knowledge sharing and evidence-informed approaches to primary prevention.  

What to say and do to support a colleague, student or client if they disclose an experience of family violence or sexual assault.

Tools for understanding and planning for different types of resistance in work to promote gender equality and prevent violence against women.

Guidance on monitoring progress in primary prevention on a population and project level.

Understand the signs of family violence and what your professional responsibilities may be in recognising and responding to family violence.

Information for professionals on how to refer a client experiencing (or at risk of) family violence to a specialist service.

What specialist family violence practitioners and other professionals need to know about identifying, assessing and managing family violence risk.

The Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme and Child Information Sharing Scheme help Victorian services work together to keep victim survivors safe.

The Family Violence Case Management Program Requirements establish for the first time a set of consistent, statewide expectations for specialist family violence services in the delivery of case management for adult and child victim survivors.  

Supported by Safe and Equal, key local services form a Risk Assessment and Management Panel (RAMP) to assess and address the highest risk cases of family violence.

People experiencing family violence come into contact with every part of the human service system. There are a broad range of services and sectors that have responsibilities to prevent, recognise and respond to safety risks as well as promote perpetrator accountability.

Specialist family violence services provide crisis responses and case management to victim survivors of family violence.

The Code of Practice: Principles and Standards for Specialist Family Violence Services for Victim Survivors (the Code) articulates a set of principles and standards to guide consistent, quality service provision for victim survivors accessing specialist family violence services in Victoria.

Convened by a Family Violence Principal Strategic Advisor, these committees drive greater integration of regional family violence responses.

Find out where to go for support and referral if you encounter someone in your work who may be using family violence.

Aboriginal definition of family violence, self-determination and responding to family violence and Aboriginal family violence services in Victoria.

Frameworks and guidelines that specialist family violence services in Victoria should be aware of and use as part of their service provision.

The Experts by Experience framework aims to enhance the ability of specialist family violence services to provide opportunities for survivor advocates to influence policy development, service planning and practice.

This practice guidance has been prepared by Djirra for family violence workers who are responding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing family violence.

Children and young people can be both directly and indirectly affected by family violence. It’s important to recognise children and young people as victim survivors in their own right, not extensions of their parents, or ‘secondary victims’ of family violence.

Information, tips, tools and resources for specialist family violence practitioners to help support positive change and break down barriers to accessing services for people with disability.

People of all genders, sex and sexual orientations can experience family violence. Many experiences of family violence among LGBTIQA+ communities mirror those within heterosexual and cisgendered relationships.

Victim survivors from culturally, linguistically, and faith-diverse communities in Australia, which includes people from migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking backgrounds, experience the same forms of family violence as the broader community.

If you are supporting someone who is older or lives with an older person, it is vital you can recognise elder abuse and respond appropriately. Elder abuse is a form of family violence and can include acts of psychological, financial, cultural, verbal, social, spiritual, sexual, and physical abuse and neglect.

Victim survivors who have been criminalised experience high rates of family violence and trauma, and the severity and impacts of this violence and trauma can be significant.

This reflective practice tool and these case studies were developed in partnership with survivor advocates and practitioners from Flat Out, Switchboard, inTouch, and Elizabeth Morgan House to support family violence practitioners to identify and implement tailored anti-oppressive responses for victim survivors who do not consider calling police to be a safe option.

If you’re a family violence worker, learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma and burnout.

How to provide a safe working environment for specialist family violence practitioners.

If you’re an employer, learn how to safeguard the mental health and wellbeing of workers during emergencies, such as bushfires or pandemic.

There are steps you can take to prioritise and protect your health and wellbeing when working in the family violence sector.

The Family Violence Experts by Experience Framework aims to enhance the ability of specialist family violence services to provide opportunities for survivor advocates to influence policy development, service planning and practice.

Downloadable information, fact sheets, resources and digital tools to help you in your work.