Ensure advanced family violence practitioner positions are established at each Support and Safety Hub

As outlined at Recommendation 37, Family Safety Victoria has started implementing The Orange Door network across the state. The development of The Orange Door network included providing for Advanced Family Violence Practitioners that operate as part of highly skilled, multi-disciplinary teams in The Orange Door network. These positions strengthen the high level of specialist expertise in working with people experiencing family violence and with perpetrators of family violence. They contribute to building the capacity of all workers through providing secondary consultation, expert advice and guidance, provision of learning, development, mentoring, supervision and opportunities for reflective practice. The role that these positions play across the functions of The Orange Door network and in relation to the broader service system are a feature of the Service Model and Integrated Practice Framework.

Since the Royal Commission into Family Violence, funding to specialist family violence services for case management and other client supports has risen by more than 230%. In 2014-15, $17 million was provided for case management and support and expanded to $58 million in 2019-20. This increased capacity assists specialist family violence services to provide secondary consultation to universal and other support services.

The redevelopment of the Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework will consider these roles in the system, in addition to other mechanisms to support secondary consultation and the provision of expert advice.

Significant investment was provided in the 2017-18 State Budget to establish and implement The Orange Door network across all Department of Families Fairness and Housing (DFFH) areas.

Designing and planning for the Advanced Family Violence Practitioner roles has been part of the development of The Orange Door network. These positions play a key role across the functions of The Orange Door network. The positions provide specialist expertise and practice leadership.

These positions have been funded and embedded into the service prerequisites ensuring that these important roles are recruited before an Orange Door can commence service delivery.

Advanced Family Violence Practice Leaders have been appointed in each of the first eight areas (Barwon, Bayside Peninsula, Inner Gippsland, Mallee, North Eastern Metropolitan, Central Highlands, Loddon and Goulburn Areas).

The inclusion of an Advanced Family Violence Practice Leader is part of the business as usual funding, establishment and operation of every Orange Door. The requisite funding, documentation, implementation and monitoring activities are in place to ensure that it is implemented in each Orange Door across the 17 DFFH areas by 2022 and this can be evidenced.

Implemented.