Expand funding for after-hours responses

An immediate funding boost was provided to strengthen after-hours responses for victims of family violence across the state in 2016–17.

An enhanced after-hours response model has been developed to ensure that face-to-face crisis support can be activated, when required, across the state.

The approach to delivering after-hours responses will continue to be refined alongside the establishment of Support and Safety Hubs.

An enhanced statewide after-hours crisis response model that provides victim survivors access to face-to-face crisis support when required across the state commenced in January 2018. Additional funding was allocated to local agencies across the state to deliver family violence after-hours face-to-face crisis responses under the enhanced model.

An After-Hours Working Group was established to assist with this work and develop operational guidelines. These guidelines were produced in conjunction with other Victorian Government agencies and community service organisations and are available on the Department of Health and Human Services website.

An additional 12 months of funding has been allocated to agencies to continue to support the enhanced model in 2019-20.

Implemented.