The NIFVS team has developed a new Financial Abuse webpage with resources for professionals responding to family violence.

Financial abuse is a common form of family violence but is under identified. Proactive steps can be taken to address problems such as joint debts, unaffordable loans, utilities and phones, and credit history.

Resources on the NIFVS webpage include:

• Family Violence and Financial Abuse, a new resource with information about what financial abuse is and steps that victim survivors can take (WIRE & ANZ).
• Financial Recovery: A Guide to Helping People who Have Experience Family Violence, a tip sheet identifying the main financial issues faced by victim survivors (Consumer Action Law Centre). 

The NIFVS service directory provides information about Financial Counselling and Legal Services which practitioners can refer to and seek secondary consultation in relation to financial abuse. 

Jobs Victoria have developed a multi-year Social Services Job Guarantee program which aims to grow the community services workforce and establish a more consistent flow of people from training into community services jobs including: 

• family violence and sexual assault
• child protection and family services
• housing and homelessness.

The program supports participating community service organisations with relevant job vacancies to be matched with suitable Diploma of Community Service graduates. 

For employers:
Community and social services sector employers who want to hire Diploma of Community Service graduates, can register interest for the Jobs Guarantee program as an employer.

For students and graduates:
When jobs become available, graduates are matched to a role in the community services sector. 

The program guarantees employment for students who graduate from the Diploma of Community Services between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2024.

(Source: WIFVS eNews, 12.12.22)

Researchers from The Bouverie Centre at La Trobe University have been awarded a Victorian Government grant for a project to improve family violence support to women in prison. Organisations are invited to share the information with women who might be interested and eligible to participate in the research.

The research team have provided a information for service organisations and an example script to use for presenting this information to potential participants in a conversation.

(Source: Safe and Equal member bulletin, 8.12.22)

Family Safety Victoria have refunded the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Graduate Program for 2023. This Program will recruit new or recent graduates to work in a range of family violence, sexual assault and primary prevention roles.

New graduates will have the opportunity to gain practical skills and knowledge while also be provided with additional learning and development opportunities, such as an extensive induction, communities of practice sessions, graduate workshops and wellbeing supports such as external supervision.

In the NMR, Kids First has been successful in gaining this funding and is currently recruiting for new graduates.

(Source: Vic Gov website, 28.11.22)

The State Government is expanding the Adolescent Family Violence in the Home program.

Six organisations will share in more than $17 million to deliver integrated early intervention responses for adolescents who use violence.

The successful providers are Anglicare, Australian Childhood Foundation, Berry Street, Melbourne City Mission, Uniting and Quantum Support Services.

The providers will deliver trauma informed, evidence-based services to young people – providing a coordinated response that supports a young person’s developmental and therapeutic needs and safety for the entire family.

The new model of care draws on evidence-based interventions and was developed following a review and analysis of national and international programs, approaches and research.

An additional $5.7 million has also been allocated to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations to continue to deliver Aboriginal led and community designed approaches to adolescent family violence in the home.

(Source: Premiers Media Centre, 31.10.22)

Specialist family violence managers, senior workers and experienced practitioners in the specialist family violence sector who are looking to move into a leadership role are invited to apply for the Fast Track Leadership program to build their leadership and management capability. The course is being offered by Safe and Equal and will be delivered during 2023 and 2024.

Applications for the upcoming Fast Track response course (running from 9 February to 27 April 2023) close on 17 January 2023. Join the waitlist here. Those interested can also join the waitlist to be notified about future courses.

(Source: Safe and Equal newsletter, 28.10.22)

The Victorian Government has announced the consortium selected to run the new Mental Health Statewide Trauma Service – a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. The new service will bring together mental health practitioners, trauma experts, peer workers and carers with lived experience. The Mental Health Statewide Trauma Service consortium includes:

• Phoneix Australia
• Victorian Aboriginal Childcare Agency (VACCA)
• Australian Psychological Society
• Mindful
• Foundation House
• Berry Street
• Orygen
• SANE
• CASA House
• Austin Health, Mental Health Division
• The Bouverie Centre
• The Royal Melbourne Hospital, North Western Mental Health
• Thorne Harbour Health

(Source: Premiers Media Centre, 31.10.22)

The Bill to enshrine 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave as a workplace right has passed in Federal Parliament.
 
Now, 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave will be included in the National Employment Standards, meaning more than eight million workers will be able to access this leave.

Parliament has amended the Fair Work Act 2009 to replace the previous entitlement of five days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave in a 12-month period, with an entitlement of ten days of paid leave for full-time, part-time and casual employees. The Bill has also extended the definition of family and domestic violence to include conduct of a current or former intimate partner of an employee, or a member of an employee’s household.

(Source: Australian Services Union email, 27.10.22)

The 2022-2023 Federal Budget measures to support victim survivors detailed in the Women’s Budget Statement include:

• Supporting the delivery of more social and affordable housing by investing $10 billion in a Housing Australia Future Fund. The returns from the Fund will build around 30,000 new social and affordable housing properties in its first five years and includes a range of elements to support women:
  – 20,000 social housing dwellings will be supported, an estimated 4,000 of which will be allocated for women and children fleeing family violence and older women who are at risk of homelessness.
  – $100 million for crisis and transitional housing options for women and children fleeing family violence and older women on low incomes at risk of homelessness.
• Specialised Family Violence Services will receive funding of up to $40.4 million to expand support to assist those who are experiencing, witnessing or at risk of family violence.
• $48.7 million to expand the Family and Domestic Violence Primary Health Network Pilot.

(Source: 2022-2023 Women’s Budget Statement, 26.10.22)

The Victorian Government has provided funding for a Supporting Young People to Understand Affirmative Consent Program that will support 12 projects to provide consent education to young people aged 12-25 years.

The tailored approach is designed to help young people develop an early understanding of affirmative consent and how they can and must seek it as they become sexually active.

Successful organisations include Women’s Health In the North, Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, Drummond Street, VACCA and Youth Law.

The new legislation, the Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and Other Matters) Bill 2022 includes amendments that will adopt an affirmative consent model and provide better protections for victim survivors of sexual offences, shifting the scrutiny from victim-survivors onto their perpetrators.

(Source: Premiers Media Releases, 31.8.22 & 24.10.22)