The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing has developed Best Practice Supervision Guidelines for the family violence, sexual assault and child wellbeing workforces.

Supervision is central to developing and sustaining the sectors’ workforces.

The Guidelines were developed in collaboration with the sectors and incorporate information from the Best Practice Supervision Information Sheets, published in 2023.  

The Guidelines provide information on:

• Best practice approaches to supervision
• Recommended standards
• Roles and responsibilities
• The department is also producing a series of videos to support the Guidelines, which will be available in the coming months.

The Guidelines and videos are for use during individual, group or peer supervision sessions, staff induction, policy development and supervision training.  

To get in touch with the Centre for Workforce Excellence, email: cwe@dffh.vic.gov.au.  

The Northern Integrated Family Violence Services, in collaboration with the local Family Violence Network Conveners, have developed a digital toolkit to support the Week Without Violence 2024 campaign.

This toolkit includes:

• Social media tile for the WWV 2024.
• Posters containing information in English, Arabic, Assyrian, Chinese, Hindi,
  Punjabi and Vietnamese for:
  o adult victim survivors
  o adult using family violence

The Forum was delivered in two parts:

• A morning ‘expert’ panel session that discussed Service Mapping with Adults Using Violence Services. This session was focused on enhancing visibility and connectivity across the system.
• Afternoon workshops that were designed as more interactive sessions that were lead by sector experts. The workshops utilized a shared case study to explore three core areas:
  a. Deep dive: Information Sharing Schemes
  b. Embedding cultural safety and respect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  c. Culturally informed care when working with migrant and refugee women.

The NIFVS team have produced an Evaluation Report – which includes key findings and recommendations – that can be downloaded utilising the buttons below.
If you have queries about the Evaluation Report, do not hesitate to contact the NIFVS team at nifvs@whin.org.au.

The next Lunch & Learn session is coming up on Tuesday 29 October from 12-1 pm!
Sharon, Senior Independent Family Advocate from Victoria Legal Aid will speak to Independent Family Advocacy and Support.

“Independent Family Advocacy and Support is a service that provides non-legal advocacy and support to parents and primary carers who are involved in the child protection system at the early stages”.

Who should attend?
Designed for both specialist and non-specialist family violence practitioners under MARAM, with particular focus on professionals who may want to learn more about navigating family violence risk in their roles.

Please register by Monday 28 October to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!

NMR Groupwork Calendar, Term 4 2024 (PDF).

NMR Groupwork Calendar, Term 4 2024 (Word).

Each school term, the Northern Integrated Family Violence Services (NIFVS) partnership produces a calendar of family violence support groups run by organisations in the Northern Metropolitan Region.

Support groups include therapeutic groups for victim survivors, supported playgroups, parenting groups and perpetrator intervention programs, including in-language groups.

You can view and download the Term 4 Groupwork Calendar here.

If you would like to include your group on the calendar or would like further information please contact Valentina, Communications and Program Support Officer at Northern Integrated Family Violence Services at valentina.b@whin.org.au.

In October 2023, NIFVS have conducted a MARAM Alignment Survey across the Northern Metropolitan Region.
We are excited to be sharing our key findings and recommendations, which highlight:
– strengthen and support a culture of system-wide collaboration, including strengthening of information sharing processes and policies
– improve workforce capacity building activities to reflect the current service system
-increase workforce capacity and confidence to work safely with people who choose to use violence
– strengthen the skills and confidence of practitioners in mainstream organisations to provide inclusive, safe responses to people experiencing violence

“The 2023 NIFVS MARAM Alignment Survey is the first of an annual surveying process designed to establish a baseline for the collection of regional workforce data. Analysis of this data will support systems that monitor how the implementation of these reforms is progressing in the Northern Metropolitan Region (NMR) and whether they are improving family violence practice”.
NIFVS will launch the next survey in March 2025. Stay tuned!

The Northern Integrated Family Violence Services (NIFVS) are seeking an Expert by Experience representative to join the NIFVS Family Violence Regional Integration Committee (FVRIC) Leadership Group.

This role will be part of new governance arrangements and will represent victim survivors at a regional level to inform policy, planning, action, and advocacy across the Northern Metropolitan Region’s family violence sector. The position will hold voting rights, influencing decision-making processes.

The position is a hybrid role, with the representative required to be able to attend meetings in Thornbury, located in the Northern Metropolitan Region (NMR) of Melbourne.

Who we are:

• The Northern Integrated Family Violence Services (NIFVS) Family Violence Regional Integration Committee (FVRIC) provides family violence system leadership across the NMR of Melbourne.
• FVRICs are local governance structures that were established in 2006 to improve the integration of services that respond to family violence.
• The Leadership Group is constituted by 12 representatives: 4 elected representatives from the General Membership Committee, the NIFVS Principal Strategic Advisor, 2 DFFH representatives from the Hume Moreland Area (HMA) and the North East Melbourne Area (NEMA), 2 Hub Managers of The Orange Door from the HMA and NEMA, 2 representatives from a Specialist Family Violence Service organisation, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO) representative and an Expert by Experience representative.

What you will do:

• Attend FVRIC Leadership Group meetings.
• Support the functions of the FVRIC Leadership Group.
• Act as an advocate on behalf of victim survivors of family who live and work in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
• Ensure the activities, including Strategic Planning and Annual Action Planning and Review processes, are culturally informed and safe.
• Participate in FVRIC Working Groups as is appropriate.

What we’re looking for:

• A representative who has an understanding of the Family Violence sector in Victoria.
• Current participation in a peer-support program is preferred for this position.
• Desirable that the representative lives or works in the NMR.

How to apply:

Please send EOIs to Veronica Hunt at veronica.h@whin.org.au with the subject line: ‘EOI FVRIC Expert by Experience Representative – Confidential’ or apply via Ethical Jobs.

EOIs close COB Monday 14 October 2024.

Appointment: Will be subject to an open General FVRIC Membership election process.

If you have specific queries about this position, please contact Veronica Hunt, Principal Strategic Advisor, NIFVS FVRIC via email veronica.h@whin.org.au or telephone 03 9968 1125.

The Northern Integrated Family Violence Services and Berry Street have partnered to deliver the Working with infants and young children experiencing family violence Community of Practice.

Membership:
Practitioners in the NMR working in roles that engage with young children as a core part of their work and regularly respond to past and current experiences of family violence.
Roles of members may include:

• Maternal and Child Health (including Enhanced)
• Child and Family Services
• Early Childhood Care, Education and Intervention Services

*Practitioners will be prescribed under the MARAM Framework, generally sitting across tiers 2 – 3.

Submit your Expression of Interest here or contact nifvs@whin.org.au if you want more information.

The next Lunch & Learn on Tech-facilitated abuse in the contexts of domestic, family and sexual violence is coming up!
This session will be delivered online via MS Teams by eSafety, Australia’s independent regulator for online safety.
All specialist and non-specialist family violence practitioners that are prescribed under MARAM (Tier 1 – 4) are encouraged to participate.

The Western Integrated Family Violence Committee (WIFVC) and the Northern Integrated Family Violence Services Partnership (NIFVS) have released a new resource: the MARAM Summary Guide.

The MARAM Summary Guide provides practitioner in the Western and Northern Metropolitan Regions a summary of the key elements of the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework.

The WIFVC and the NIFVS acknowledge and thank the Barwon Area Integrated Family Violence Committee for their work designing this MARAM Framework Summary Guide and for allowing it to be tailored for the Western and Northern Metropolitan Regions.

You can download the MARAM Summary Guide here.