About (Reforms)

Gippsland partnerships (including specialist family violence services, police, justice services and stakeholders) are working together to improve the safety of women and children and increase accountability of men who use violence against family and to ensure that unified and streamlined responses are provided to victims of family violence, regardless of which part of the service system provides support. 

Gippsland Family Violence Reform Strategy

The Gippsland Integrated Family Violence Service Reform Steering Committee (the Steering Committee) is the cross-sectoral body acting on behalf of the Gippsland region key stakeholders and funded service providers on integrated family violence system responses for women, children and men.

The integrated family violence response in Gippsland is based on the key priorities and aims listed in the document "A Right to Safety & Justice". The role of the Steering Committee is to implement, monitor, promote, and continuously improve the integrated family violence response within the region through the:

• Development of integrated policies, procedures and processes that clearly demonstrate the shared vision and principles in the provision of quality family violence services for clients. 
• Development of an annual implementation plan with monitoring and evaluation framework. 

Download Terms of Reference here.

The Gippsland Family Violence Integrated Regional Steering Committee meets the fourth Wednesday of every second month.  List of meeting dates for 2012 can be found here.

• About the Reform Process
• Training Calendar
• Resources
• Contacts and Support Services
• Key Documents & Links

Aims of new approach

• Reduce deaths, injuries and the emotional impact
• Respond more effectively to all women and children
• Strengthen the response of the police and courts
• Increase accountability of and access to behaviour change programs for men
• Emphasis the rights, needs and safety of children
• Provide greater support to all workers who deal with victims
• Bring the issue of family violence into the open.
   

Six Action Areas

Six Action Areas as listed in "A Right to Safety and Justice":

1. Increase the system’s capacity to respond earlier and more effectively to all victims of family violence
2. Emphasise the rights, needs and safety of children and young people
3. Ensure perpetrators stop their violence and are held to account
4. Ensure Victorian communities do not tolerate violence against women
5. Strengthen the Integrated Family Violence System including governance and workforce capacity
6. Improve research and data systems to measure progress of reform and outcomes.

Access the  summary document here.

Reform process timeline

• Began in July 2006
• Service reforms to be introduced over four years
• December 2006 - release of the DHS “Guiding Integration FV Service Reforms 2006-2009 Document”, giving strong DHS direction about the implementation of the service reforms.
• June 2010 - release of  "A Right to Safety and Justice" or summary document. -  A strategic framework to Guide Continuing Family Violence Reform in Victoria 2010 - 2020.

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