Appendix A
Organisations consulted or who contacted the authors for this report:
National
- Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse
- Australian Women’s Coalition
- Elder Abuse Prevention Association
- Homelessness Australia
- National Rural Women’s Coalition
- Security4Women
- WomenSpeak Network
- Women with Disabilities Australia
- WESNET
State based service providers
- Catherine House SA
- Women’s Housing Association South Australia
- Homelessness SA
- Central Domestic Violence Service
- Dawn House NT
- Domestic Violence Resource Service (Mackay & Region)
- DVConnect Queensland Crisis Helpline
- DV Vic
- Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association of NSW
- Nunga Mi:Minar SA
- Kara House Victoria
- Loddon Campaspe Family Violence Service
- Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Co-operation Broken Hill NSW
- Multicultural Women’s Accommodation and Support Agency SA
- NSW Women’s Refuge Movement Resource Centre
- Northern Queensland Domestic Violence Resource Service
- RDNS SA
- Sera’s Women’s Shelter Townsville
- Southern Domestic Violence Service, Ninko Kurtangga Patpangga SA
- Statewide Women’s Health SA
- YWCA Australia
- YWCA Adelaide
- YWCA Sydney
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Appendix B
Summary of recommendations from Weeks, W and Oberin, J. 2004, Women’s Refuges, Shelters, Outreach and Support Services in Australia: From Sydney Squat to complex Services, Challenging Domestic and Family Violence, WESNET, December 2004.
Recommendation 1
That States and Territories fund domestic and family violence outreach workers who can offer daily support to women and children escaping domestic and family violence who are placed in hotels, motels and caravan parks in the absence of more suitable supportive accommodation.
Recommendation 2
That hotel, motel and caravan park use for women and children escaping violence be reduced as soon as other suitable facilities can be expanded, and as soon as possible abolished as a service delivery practice.
Recommendation 3
That all States and Territories actively seek to learn from Indigenous service models, and commit funding to locally accountable services, based on holistic Indigenous approaches, and staffed by Indigenous workers.
Recommendation 4
That incentives be built into funding programs to encourage the continued expansion of employment of bi-cultural and bi-lingual staff in services, linked to identified need in each community.
Recommendation 5
That adequate funding be allocated to specialist domestic and family violence services to provide on-going training and professional education for police, court personnel and the generalist service delivery system.
Recommendation 6
That the Australian government endorses the listed PADV recommendations from previous PADV reports along with this report and presents them to relevant government departments for action, and to the joint Commonwealth/State/Territory officers committees for funding priority and action, as the recommendations continue to remain urgent.
Recommendation 7
That the extent of unmet demand and the shortage of crisis accommodation be recognised as a serious issue, warranting expansion of funds for services.
Recommendation 8
That funding for refuges and shelters should cover their full clientele, that is, fund beds, space, resources and staff time for children 0-18 years accompanying the presently funded ‘adult/client’. This is a recommended mechanism for addressing the present under-resourcing of crisis accommodation.
Recommendation 9
That the Australian government encourage the States/Territories with high remote area needs, and other States/Territories with rural needs, to give high priority to expansion of services, outreach workers and community development and education workers to address the support and service needs in these rural and remote areas.
Recommendation 10
That the Australian government fund and assist all States and Territories to fund outreach programs and non-accommodation service models.
Recommendation 11
That the Commonwealth government fund and assist all States and Territories to provide alternative models of crisis accommodation, such as dispersed housing, cluster models and independent units.
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Recommendation 12
That the Australian government fund and assist all States and Territories to expand their provision of medium term and transitional housing, in view of the acute shortage of affordable housing for women and children exiting crisis accommodation.
Recommendation 13
That the Australian government assist and encourage State and Territory Human and Community Service Departments to fund specialist workers for particular groups of women in need, in particular:
- young women experiencing violence
- women with disabilities experiencing violence
- immigrant women experiencing violence
- lesbians experiencing violence
- Indigenous workers for Indigenous women
Along with specialist workers for men’s programs concerned with appropriate behaviour change and meeting appropriate standards, and children’s programs for healing following domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 14:
That the Australian government open the way for additional workers to be employed within SAAP-funded services, funded by other government portfolios. For example, health workers, children’s workers, Indigenous workers, Lesbian workers, bilingual workers, and community development and education workers, to assist with the development of appropriate programs to facilitate healing and recovery for women and children after domestic or family violence.
Recommendation 15:
That the Australian government fund and encourage States and Territories to provide 24 hour/7 day a week access to crisis telephone lines and appropriate crisis accommodation.
Recommendation 16:
That safety be regarded as a first principle, and incorporated into all SAAP policies and memoranda, and that of State and Territory departments funding and facilitating services to respond to domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 17:
That the Australian government strengthen the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement to ensure that all States and Territories expand the availability of affordable and safe public, social and/or community housing and loans schemes for women seeking safety after violence.
Recommendation 18:
That the Centrelink crisis payment implementation process be reviewed, to ensure it becomes widely known and accessible, and that it meets the needs of women using it, including ensuring that women do not have to leave the family home to be eligible for it.
Recommendation 19:
That the Australian government fund study tours for department personnel and service providers to visit innovative domestic and family violence services, and in addition make funds available for the production of educational videos on crisis accommodation facilities.
Recommendation 20:
That the Australian government fund WESNET (Women’s Services Network) as an important peak body in the further development of services for women and children escaping violence.
Recommendation 21
That the Australian government make additional funding available for research, giving priority to research into outreach programs, safe houses and service evaluations which document innovation and draw on service-user input and experiences.
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Appendix C
Summary of recommendations from Chung, D., Kennedy, R., O’Brien, B., Wendt, S., with assistance from Cody, S. 2000, Home safe home: the link between domestic and family violence and women’s homelessness, Partnerships Against Domestic Violence, WESNET and the DFaCSIA.
Recommendation 1
The safety of women and children continues to be an overarching principle in all service responses related to domestic and family violence including policy and protocol statements through to the involvement of women and children in their own safety planning.
Recommendation 2
The rights of women and children to remain safely in their own homes be upheld and that policies and protocols are developed that safely enable the removal of the perpetrator in situations of domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 3
Australian Governments’ current commitments to community education and public awareness raising of domestic and family violence continue; approaches known to be effective are available widely and further diversity in approaches is examined to access a broad section of the Australian community.
Recommendation 4
Findings from recent PADV Evaluations of Domestic Violence Prevention Strategies and Resources for Working with Young People are used as the basis for future development and expansion of community education approaches.
Recommendation 5
Greater support is given to community development in Indigenous communities to provide community led and owned responses to addressing family violence.
Recommendation 6
Educating magistrates on the use and breaches of restraining and exclusion orders. This could be done for example through the Australian Institute of Judicial Administration and the Australian Association of Magistrates.
Recommendation 7
Consistent and comprehensive knowledge provision for women and service providers about legal rights and obligations, particularly in relation to orders and tailoring of orders created around housing circumstances. This could be done for example through police contact with the victim and the development of literature and training by various legal bodies, such as women’s legal services or legal services commissions. Current good practices are extended including:
Recommendation 8
Specialist legal responses such as domestic violence courts and or magistrates who have specialist knowledge in domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 9
Legal advisory and court support for women before, during and after an order has been applied for. The following changes are made to legislation and other services.
Recommendation 10
Consistent and potent domestic violence legislation across Australia, through the introduction of model domestic violence legislation, or through legislation in each state jurisdiction which ensures the option of sole occupancy orders for women in situations of domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 11
The intersection between Family Law and State and Territory domestic violence and child protection legislation be reviewed for inconsistencies, gaps and overlaps that do not uphold the rights of women and children to safely retain their homes.
Recommendation 12
Protocols be developed between men’s services and legal systems for the systematic management of men who are in both perpetrators programs and involved in State or Federal legal matters related to family or domestic violence, so that the potential effectiveness of perpetrator programs is not undermined.
Recommendation 13
Police training in the area of domestic and family violence is continued and expanded in each jurisdiction with particular reference to local conditions and contexts.
Recommendation 14
That police become aware of the importance of their role in educating women and service providers about the collection of evidence relevant to their cases.
Recommendation 15
Specialist Police Domestic Violence Units and liaison officer positions are continued and expanded.
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Recommendation 16
While breaches of intervention orders may be difficult to substantiate with present evidentiary requirements, police continue to rigorously pursue breaches.
Recommendation 17
The evaluation findings of specialist police pilots which allow for increasing intensity of response to domestic violence callouts and interagency coordination be used to inform future police practice and initiatives in the areas of domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 18
To continually improve the effectiveness of police responses to domestic and family violence situations, each jurisdiction establish an independent body for monitoring police responses to domestic violence callouts.
Recommendation 19
Consideration be given to the use of new technologies which would allow breach of orders to be automatically registered with police so that the sole responsibility for reporting does not fall with women. Men’s services
Recommendation 20
There is a re-orientation of men’s emergency accommodation services to accommodate men removed from the home as a result of domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 21
The re-orientation of men’s emergency accommodation services would require that services engage in coordinated intervention to work towards the man stopping the use of violence such as compulsory referral and attendance at perpetrator programs with accountability to women and children.
Recommendation 22
Information about men’s services is available to women through domestic violence and women’s services which can assist their decision making.
Recommendation 23
Perpetrator programs establish greater links with other relevant services such as alcohol, drug and gambling services to ensure where appropriate that multiple issues are addressed.
Recommendation 24
The evaluation of perpetrator programs should always include accountability to women and children in ways that are respectful and culturally appropriate to women and children.
Recommendation 25
Existing outreach services are acknowledged and funded appropriately.
Recommendation 26
Brokerage or discretionary funds are available to the States and Territories as part of the standard funding formula to respond to the specific longer term home security needs of women who have experienced domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 27
In any strategic decision about outreach services consideration be given to their use in preventing homelessness through early intervention which could involve active collaboration with other information and intervention services.
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Recommendation 28
Conduct nationally coordinated research to identify models of good practice in outreach services for diverse groups of women and different local conditions and that the findings of such research be used to inform decision making for the strategic use of outreach services across jurisdictions.
Recommendation 29
Recruitment practices reflect the diversity of service users and expand the numbers of Indigenous and bi-cultural workers.
Recommendation 30
High security refuges/shelters continue to be available to ensure the safety of women and children following domestic and family violence and that they are staffed 24 hours per day, every day of the year.
Recommendation 31
Alternative models of safe emergency accommodation and support for women and children following domestic and family violence in addition to the prevailing high security option be considered to meet the heterogeneity of needs in all jurisdictions.
Recommendation 32
Rules and regulations in refuges/shelters reflect the diverse needs of women and children using the services and promote minimal disruption to important aspects of their lives.
Recommendation 33
Recruitment practices reflect the diversity of service users and expand the numbers of Indigenous and bi-cultural workers.
Recommendation 34
Coordination and protocols between refuges/shelters and other services relevant to local contexts continue to be improved.
Recommendation 35
Both communal and individual units cluster styles of accommodation be available in refuges/shelters in each area to provide for the diverse needs of women and children.
Recommendation 36
Consideration be given to strategies that combat current myths and stereotypes about refuges/shelters, for example a name change for refuges/shelters and community education initiatives.
Recommendation 37
Flexibility in the length of stay in refuges/shelters can be accommodated in response to the needs of women and children and the local housing context. Emergency, transitional and supported accommodation.
Recommendation 38
Continued support is given to the development of safe and or retreat houses on Indigenous communities.
Recommendation 39
Where motels, boarding houses and caravans continue to be required as backup in crisis these options should always position women and their children in networks of services that provide the relevant range of support.
Recommendation 40
Very short term leases are available (1-2 weeks) for women who need to briefly leave the home while arrangements for return are put in place.
Recommendation 41
Transitional and supported accommodation, linked to other domestic violence services, be available for flexible time periods in all regions to enable women and children to re-establish themselves and develop longer term plans.
Recommendation 42
WESNET engage in high level negotiations with the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments on the appropriate forms of affordable housing stock and location for women and children escaping domestic and family violence with reference to the need for safety and minimum disruption to schooling, employment and social supports.
Recommendation 43
State and Territory Governments amend priority housing evidentiary and application requirements which only acknowledge physical abuse and which require women to engage in costly, time consuming and humiliating processes to find non-public accommodation. For example obtaining a number of written refusals from more than one real estate agent in a short time period.
Recommendation 44
Consideration be given by, State and Territory governments to providing loans schemes and financial support to financially disadvantaged women to purchase their own house following relationship breakdown as a result of domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 45
WESNET seek a collaborative relationship with community housing peak bodies in Australia (the National Community Housing Forum and the Community Housing Federation of Australia) to encourage various forms of community and cooperative housing which can provide further options for women and children to gain affordable and appropriate housing.
Recommendation 46
WESNET engage in negotiations with the Real Estate Institute of Australia at the national level to redress issues of discrimination and promote fair dealings in leasing practices concerning women and children escaping domestic and family violence.
Recommendation 47
WESNET develop training and information packages for its members to assist domestic violence services to engage in mutually productive relationships with local real estate agents.
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Recommendation 48
Legal Services Commissions and Women’s Legal Services consider the possibility of taking discrimination or fair trading legal action in response to flagrant cases of unfair private rental practices.
Recommendation 49
Commonwealth, State and Territory governments engage in high level negotiations with financial institutions and other lending authorities to implement policies around loan restructuring for women who become sole occupants of the residence following relationship breakdown as a result of domestic and family violence. Services for Children.
Recommendation 50
Children in domestic violence services are consistently treated as clients in their own right and that this is reflected in specific funding arrangements.
Recommendation 51
In planning decisions around redeveloping refuges/shelters consideration be given to the needs of young children and adolescents accompanying women.
Recommendation 52
Access to child support workers be available for all women and children using domestic violence accommodation and non-accommodation services.
Recommendation 53
Opportunities are sought and further developed for inter-agency case management with children in domestic violence services who have special needs.
Recommendation 54
The provision of services for women to understand and prepare for children’s behaviour following domestic and family violence experiences be available in all areas of Australia.
Recommendation 55
All human service organisations have domestic violence policies and that these policies do not force women to construct themselves as victims fleeing the situation in order to gain access to benefits and services.
Recommendation 56
Consideration be given to the expansion and greater use of coordinated inter-agency domestic violence models that include core and peripheral agencies in all areas of Australia suitable to local conditions.
Recommendation 57
Coordinated models be supported with protocols amongst domestic violence services and between domestic violence and non domestic violence services.
Recommendation 58
Single entry point into domestic and family violence services be available in all areas of Australia and that consideration be given to improving their user responsiveness.
Recommendation 59
Findings of the evaluations of existing domestic violence response teams are used in the strategic development of further services across Australia.