Subject area 3: Family violence as experienced by people from diverse communities

Outlines why subject area 3 is a priority, what is needed, desired outcomes and the scope

Why is this a priority?

We know that many Victorians face additional challenges and are at greater risk of violence, because of social structures of disadvantage that marginalise their cultural or social identity or their personal circumstances. This includes people from multicultural and faith communities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and questioning (LGBTIQ+) communities, people with disability, people experiencing mental health difficulties, older Victorians, women in or exiting prison or forensic institutions, people working in the sex industry, rural, regional and remote communities, male victims and young people aged 12 – 25. The culture, experiences and needs of these communities may differ significantly and individuals may identify with one or several communities. Similarly, the family violence experiences of individuals who belong to these communities may also differ.

Research into family violence as experienced and perpetrated by people from diverse communities is an emerging field. We need to better understand the unique dynamics of violence within diverse communities and the drivers and protective factors that may increase or reduce that violence. There is also a significant gap in research and data collection around access, inclusion and family violence service system use for people from diverse communities. This needs to be addressed in order to prevent family violence and enhance the Victorian service system response.

Research topic 3.1: What counts as success for multicultural community services as part of a coordinated response to family violence?

Need

Multicultural community services provide a range of services to communities across Victoria including connecting them into vital services such as family violence. There are a range of different multicultural community services that are small and large, and many are run by volunteers. They are the vital link to community and many support their communities to access a range of services including family violence support. Their role is not formally recognised as part of the service system even though they play a critical role in building trust and engagement as well as identification of family violence risk. Anecdotally, we know that specialist family violence and sexual assault services reach out to many multicultural community services to improve their practice response to be more culturally responsive to clients who access their services. There is a need to research the role of multicultural community services and their contribution to coordinated efforts in responding to family violence.

Desired outcomes

Findings will:

  • provide evidence needed to support future Victorian investment in multicultural community services for the key role they play in keeping Victorian communities safe
  • provide evidence of the role of multicultural community services in the broader services system connected to the family violence sector for example, mental health, alcohol and other drug, child protection/child first, welfare and other family services
  • assist government to allocate resources based on need and improved evidence of what works.

Scope

Duration: Up to 1.5 years
Budget: Up to $150,000
Methodology:
This research should include:

  • strong participatory methods including the co-design of the project with multicultural community services and the family violence sector. Methods should also focus on engaging faith leaders and other community leaders.
  • mechanisms to ensure that all stages of contact (from initial client contact with services, through to exit from contact with the services) is covered in the research, including community health, mental health and other community services that are referral pathways for multicultural community services
  • engagement of faith leaders and other community leaders
  • a strong focus on the development of quantitative and/or qualitative tools, approaches or guidance on what counts as effectiveness and for whom.

Lead researchers in prospective applicants must be familiar with the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM Framework).

Research topic 3.2: What protective factors and facilitators lead to successful engagement for people with a disability accessing family violence and/or sexual violence services?

Need

The 2016 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) found that, for women, living with disability or a long-term health condition raised the likelihood of experiencing various types of violence including violence by a cohabiting partner (physical and/or sexual), and emotional abuse by a cohabiting partner. The 2016 PSS found that the greatest disparity in risk was found for partner violence, with results showing that women living with disability were nearly twice as likely as women without disability to have experienced violence by a partner over a 12-month period. While a strong and sufficient quantum of research exists that focuses on barriers to access for people with disability and the increased risk people with disability face, there is a need to research and focus on protective factors and improved access to supports for victim-survivors. This is a gap in the evidence base.

Desired outcomes

Findings will be used to:

  • inform program design and service delivery and thus create more inclusive and accessible support services • inform practice framework development and workforce capacity building priorities
  • inform refinements to the policy design of family violence and/or sexual assault programs for people with a disability
  • support the development and embedding of outcomes measurement in community sector organisations that provide services
  • assist government to allocate resources based on need and improved evidence of what works.

Scope

Duration: Up to 1.5 year
Budget: Up to $150,000
Methodology:
This research should include:

  • strong participatory methods including the co-design of the project with the disability community sector, specialist family violence and/or sexual assault organisations and people with disability
  • a strong focus on the development of quantitative and/or qualitative tools, approaches or guidance on what counts as effectiveness and for whom.

Lead researchers in prospective applicants must be familiar with the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM Framework).

Updated