Deliver workforce development across health, human services and justice sectors

Our ambitious agenda for reform across the family violence, social and justice service systems cannot succeed without a skilled, valued, diverse and capable workforce. As a result, the Victorian Government has invested $95.4 million in workforce training and capacity building across the government, family violence, primary prevention and social service sectors. This funding was also used to establish a Centre for Workforce Excellence to build workforce capacity and capability in partnership with the sector.

The Centre for Workforce Excellence was established on 1 July 2017, as part of Family Safety Victoria. The work of the Centre is focused on implementing Building from Strength: 10-Year Industry Plan for Family Violence Prevention and Response, with the 3-Year Rolling Action Plans across its life-span developed to inform its implementation and monitoring.

The Centre plays a key role in determining the best means of delivering comprehensive workforce development and interdisciplinary learning about family violence across the community services, justice, education and health sectors. The Centre complements the work undertaken by the Victoria Police Family Violence Centre for Learning and the Judicial College of Victoria. Its functions include:

• leading initiatives designed to boost the capabilities of specialist family violence, primary prevention and other social service workforces
• supporting interdisciplinary learning about family violence across the social services, health, education and justice workforces
• researching and identifying core skills and capabilities across workforces, promoting best practice and contributing to the development of formal workforce training

Since its establishment, the Centre for Workforce Excellence has:

• developed Building from Strength: 10-Year Industry Plan for Family Violence Prevention and Response and Strengthening the Foundations: First Rolling Action Plan 2019-2022
• developed Victoria’s first capability frameworks for preventing and responding to family violence
• strengthened the evidence base through the 2017 Census of Workforces that Intersect with Family Violence
• launched the 2019 Census of Workforces that Intersect with Family Violence
• delivered the Enhanced Pathways to Family Violence Work Project, supporting over 1,000 student placements in family violence and community services organisations to date
• delivered leadership intensives to over 200 family violence and community sector leaders, to support effective change management