Lucy Healey

Inclusive domestic violence standards: strategies to improve interventions for women with disabilities?

Women with disabilities experience violence at greater rates than other women, yet their access to domestic violence services is more limited. This limitation is mirrored in domestic violence sector standards, which often fail to include the specific issues for women with disabilities. This article has a dual focus: to outline a set of internationally transferrable standards for inclusive practice with women with disabilities affected by domestic violence; and report on the results of a documentary analysis of domestic violence service standards, codes of practice, and practice guidelines. It draws on the Building the Evidence (BtE) research and advocacy project in Victoria, Australia in which a matrix tool was developed to identify minimum standards to support the inclusion of women with disabilities in existing domestic violence sector standards. This tool is designed to interrogate domestic violence sector standards for their attention to women with disabilities.

Gender, power and the ambiguities of resistance in a malay community of peninsular malaysia

Abstract The aim of this article is to foreground the complex and ambiguous nature of resistance stategies and the accompanying conflicting subjectivities of Malay women living in coastal peninsular Malaysia in the late 1980s. Whilst the examples are very ‘domestic’ (involving women’s and girls’ relationships within and between members of village households), the analysis of the conflicts is placed in terms of the broader processes of modernity in Malaysia. It is both a study of gendered power and identity construction and an illustration of the ways in which Malay women are positioned as bearers of an aspiring modern, Malay, Muslim culture.

A ‘double edged sword’: discretion and compulsion in policing domestic violence

Abstract Policing domestic violence is a complex area in which there are divergent views about the extent to which front line police action should be mandated by legislation and guidance. This study set in Victoria, Australia raised questions about the balance between discretion and compulsion in policing domestic violence through researching the implementation of the Code of Practice used to respond to domestic violence incidents. The project team interrogated aggregate data from the police database on family violence and also interviewed 125 police members (60 sergeants and 65 constables) to explore the attitudes to the Code of Practice and policing domestic violence. The findings reveal that discretion within a range of options is circumscribed. Variable understandings of the nature of domestic violence and the role of risk assessment and management suggest that constrained and guided discretion may be required to achieve optimum effectiveness in policing responses to domestic violence.

Providing an Integrated Response to Family Violence: Governance Attributes of Local Networks in Victoria

The establishment of integrated responses to family violence represents a significant implementation challenge for locally-based networks. This research reports on the experiences of integrated family violence committees in Victoria, and the features of their governance associated with perceived effectiveness in committee functioning. There were consistent regional differences in the perceived effectiveness of committees. The main challenge for effective service integration was establishing and maintaining effective partnerships. There were substantial differences in the capacities of the committees to meet the challenges of integration, and the research points to the need for a stronger guidance and support role by central agencies.

Case Reading as a Practice and Training Intervention in Domestic Violence and Child Protection

ABSTRACT This article explores the role of a case-reading tool, developed by the Safe and Together Institute, deployed across five Australian states, and which engaged workers from child protection (CP) and specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) services. It aimed to assess the extent to which DFV is identified in CP case files and to assess the quality of case practice from a DFV-informed perspective, as documented in the case file. The Safe and Together approach to child welfare provides a robust foundation upon which practitioners from statutory and nonstatutory backgrounds can work collaboratively and reach consensus about how best to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children living with DFV. The case reading is both a process of transformative working for practitioners and an analytical tool through which their agencies can affect systemic change. IMPLICATIONS A national audit of 20 child protection case files using the Safe and Together case-reading process indicated that documented child protection practice sits at the lower end of a domestic and family violence-informed Continuum of Practice. Analysis indicates a need to improve: child protection engagement with fathers who use DFV, assessments of their parenting role and its impact on children and family functioning; identification of adult survivors’ protective capacities and their impact on children. Research in this area may have broader implications for other professions and government policy both nationally and internationally.

Facilitating the Collaborative Interface between Child Protection and Specialist Domestic Violence Services: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT Service provision in domestic and family violence involves complex responses from multiple systems. Early evidence involving other sectors suggests interagency working may benefit service systems and providers. This points to possible benefits for service users. A scoping review of models of interagency working between child protection and either domestic violence services or family law services, or all three services, was undertaken to improve understanding of practices that may facilitate collaboration between child protection and other agencies. A systematic search of nine databases and 10 organisation websites was conducted. Results were screened against selection criteria and 24 models were identified. From those, 22 facilitators for collaboration emerged and were grouped according to five interagency collaboration enablers: shared vision; formalisation of the model; authorising environment; leadership; and information sharing. These facilitators and enablers can be used to guide policy and practice development toward more integrated services for families experiencing domestic and family violence. IMPLICATIONS Interagency collaboration in response to domestic violence has the potential to improve service efficiencies which may increase safety and wellbeing for women and children. Effectiveness of enablers for improving service provision and wellbeing of women and children requires further investigation.

A Collaborative Practice Framework for Child Protection and Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Services: Bridging the Research and Practice Divide

ABSTRACT Practice frameworks bridge the divide between research and practice. This paper shows how the translation of research into policy and practice led to the development of a practice framework to foster greater collaboration between child protection (CP) and specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) services. The framework supports safety for adult and child victims and raises the standard of accountability for fathers who use violence. In researching the challenges of collaborative work between CP and DFV services, this framework developed from a parallel collaborative process involving researchers, practitioners, and policy representatives from government and nongovernment organisations across five Australian states. IMPLICATIONS A Collaborative Practice Framework for Child Protection and Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Services provides an evidence-informed foundation for facilitating stronger and more enduring partnerships to support the safety of women and children and the accountability of perpetrators of violence and abuse. The Framework fills a gap in current practice and policy relating to the challenges of working collaboratively between child protection and community-based services with families where there is domestic and family violence.

Children Living with Domestic Violence: A Differential Response through Multi-agency Collaboration

ABSTRACT Developing appropriate pathways to assist children living with domestic and family violence (DFV) is challenging, particularly given the rise in police notifications to Child Protection (CP) relating to exposure to domestic violence. In this article, the argument is put that strong collaboration between organisations can provide a differential response in which only those children requiring an investigation are referred into CP, while all other children and their families are diverted to community-based organisations. This is foundational for the development of a more ethical and supportive response to children and their families living with DFV. The article draws on findings from a case study of the Multi-Agency Triage project in Melbourne, which developed through a collaborative risk assessment process a differential response to manage referrals of children living with DFV. The case study drew from observations of the triage, nine interviews, and analysis of administrative data. IMPLICATIONS Strong collaborations between organisations need to provide the foundation for differentiated referral pathways for children living with DFV based on informed risk assessment. Through multi-agency risk assessment, children and their families who do not meet the threshold for a child protection investigation can be diverted early into a community sector organisation for attention.