Ensure that police referral (L17) forms capture disability data

The Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework is currently being reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services in response to Recommendation 1. This review called for a best-practice framework that reflects the needs of the diverse range of family violence victim survivors and perpetrators, which supported the considerations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence.

Victoria Police has undertaken a comprehensive review and redesign of the Family Violence Report, known as the L17 Form.

Disability categories to determine accessibility needs have been incorporated into the redesign of the L17 as a check-box feature. The categories that can be selected are: vision, hearing, communication, mobility, understanding, remembering, mental health, and other. Victoria Police consulted the Mental Health Complaints Commissioner on the proposed categories.

The check-box categories are designed to promote higher quality and more consistent disability information collection compared with a free-text field. A free text field where members can provide details of required supports where applicable has also been incorporated.

The categories will be used by Victoria Police members to assist in informing them of the context of family violence and nature of the relationship, as well as supports that may be required.

Training for police members on the new L17 and the use of disability data will coincide with the rollout of the new forms in June 2019.