Victim Survivors' Advisory Council Expression of Interest

VSAC formal meetings occur online or in person once every six weeks. At these meetings, different teams from across government and the family violence sector bring a piece of work to VSAC and ask for feedback. In general, members are asked questions related to improving outcomes for people with lived experience of family violence. Sessions where VSAC members are asked questions about a particular topic are called consultations.

Examples of consultations within formal meetings include:

• consultation on the Family Violence Reform Rolling Action Plan 2020-2023 under the 10-year plan for change 
• the design of a phone survey to better understand the experience of clients at The Orange Door,
• the development of legislation to respond to non-fatal strangulation, 

Formal meetings run for four hours and members can expect to prepare by completing 30mins to 1 hour of pre-reading before the meeting. Pre-reading supports members to understand background information so they can contribute meaningfully to discussions. 

Here is a sample formal meeting agenda:

1. (10:30 - 10:35am) Welcome and introductions. Acknowledgement of Country and victim survivors of family violence.
2. (10:35 - 10:55am) Updates from Family Safety Victoria
3. (10:55 - 11:05am) Break
4. (11:05am - 12:35pm) Consultation 1: family violence and sexual assault workforce capability frameworks. (VSAC providing feedback on the personal and professional capabilities of practitioners)
5. (12:35 - 1:05pm) Break
6. (1:05 - 2:05pm) Consultation 2: Child-focused research project (VSAC providing input to ensure children and young people receive the support they need)
7. (2:05 - 2:25pm) Member updates
8. (2:25 - 2:30pm) Closing remarks

In addition to the VSAC formal meetings, there are ongoing opportunities for VSAC members to be involved in a range of consultations with stakeholders from across government and the family violence sector.

These types of opt-in consultations involve seeking input from a smaller number of VSAC members to participate in a workshop, online discussion or to provide written feedback on a particular issue. For example, stakeholders may seek to engage with an older person with experience of family violence or 2 – 3 members who have experience with the court system.

Opt-in consultations are circulated on a weekly basis and members are invited to submit an expression of interest for any work they are interested in or where they have relevant experience.

Examples of consultations include:

• providing feedback on a pamphlet to ensure it is engaging and accessible for children and young people
• participating in training videos for paramedics on responding to family violence
• providing advice on the Digitally Recorded Evidence in Chief pilot where a victim statement is recorded by police using police-issued body worn camera.

Treating VSAC like it’s a job can be helpful. Creating a separate email address to use for all VSAC-related communications can also help organise different parts of your life. In the beginning it can be difficult to figure out what to get involved in because there are lots of optional projects, consultations, and workshops but after a while you will find you can filter some of the engagements coming through based on your interests and capacity.

It’s okay not to have any previous advocacy, leadership or advisory experience. Focus on the skills and strengths you will bring to the role of VSAC member in your application. Members have a range of experiences in advocacy and everyone is at a different stage in their journey. 

It can be daunting when you’re first starting out to understand how your lived experience applies within the family violence system. Members are not expected to be experts across all areas of the family violence system and Family Safety Victoria organises regular information sessions for members on different aspects of the family violence reforms to support your learning.

In the beginning, Family Safety Victoria meets individually with members to understand your preferences and requirements for professional and personal development. The VSAC Secretariat will provide ongoing support for this development including arranging mentoring, facilitating your attendance at a relevant conference or attending a training session. 

Continuing VSAC members are also an excellent source of knowledge for new members in the areas of advocacy and professional development.

It depends on your individual preference and circumstances. Some members are comfortable engaging in public-facing engagements and advocacy. Others prefer to do their advocacy work anonymously, choosing to use pseudonyms and opting out of public-facing events or photography. VSAC members are also not expected to share any personal details of their story. There are lots of opportunities to contribute to the family violence reforms while maintaining your privacy and Family Safety Victoria will provide support to protect your identity with external consultations and stakeholders.

Information shared at formal VSAC meetings or at consultations is for the purpose of that meeting only, people are advised not to share or discuss this information. Any information shared is done with permission and must always be de-identified for privacy and safety reasons. 

We encourage VSAC members to have their own formal and informal support systems in place. 

Members have access to confidential debriefing support from an external provider for the term of their appointment and for six months after their membership on VSAC finishes. 

Members also have the option to attend an online group debriefing session after each formal meeting.

Background

Current and former VSAC members have described their time on the Council as personally and professionally beneficial and satisfying with many opportunities for mutual learning and growth for members. Members are strongly motivated by wanting to improve the family violence system for the benefit of all victim-survivors.

Members of VSAC have the opportunity to provide their advice and insights to the Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence as well as other government departments and services responsible for how the state prevents and responds to family and sexual violence.

This work can understandably be challenging and uncomfortable at times for those who have experienced trauma and violence. While Family Safety Victoria provides and encourages participation in individual and group de-briefing sessions to Council members, it is important to note that VSAC is not a therapeutic group, nor a substitute for counselling or other forms of therapeutic intervention.

VSAC members are encouraged to ensure that they have personal and professional recovery and healing support in place during their term on VSAC.

Self-reflection tool

This self-reflection tool may help you in determining your goals and readiness to participate on VSAC.

We encourage you to reflect on the following questions to help you consider if this work is for right you. You do not need to send us your responses but we will ask you to verbally share a summary of your reflection as part of the interview process.

You may want to revisit these questions every six months or so as a critical reflection exercise.

Questions

• What motivates you to be involved in VSAC?
• What do you want to achieve from your participation on VSAC?
• Have you had sufficient time since your experience (or that of your family member) to feel ready and safe to participate?
• Are you prepared to listen to the experiences and views of other members, which can potentially be distressing to hear?
• What do you bring to your participation on VSAC (ideas, information, knowledge, skills, experience)
• Do you understand the time commitment expected of this role and will you be able to commit?
• What type of support do you need to participate (training, resources, mentoring etc)?
• Do you have any legal or privacy considerations that might impact on your capacity to participate on VSAC?
• What do you do for self-care?
• What support systems do you have in place? (These can be formal such as services and informal like community, friends and pets.)

Payment rates: Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council (VSAC) members

The below table outlines payment rates for people with lived experience providing advice to government on the family violence reforms. The sitting fee for the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council is based on government guidelines for board members and hourly rates are aligned to other similar lived experience programs across community and government sectors.

• Amounts for sitting fees are determined by Victorian Government’s Appointment and Remuneration Guidelines for a Group C board.
• The sitting fee is only paid to VSAC members. There is no separate sitting fee for a Deputy Chair. Deputy Chair’s payment will be at the member’s rate. If the Deputy Chair assumes the role of the Chair the Chair’s fee will be payable for the period, the Deputy Chair acts as Chair.
• Sitting/participation fees have been segmented into four-hour blocks, with maximum payment capped at the daily rate (eight-hours or less). The sitting/participation fee may include reading papers, attending pre-brief sessions, telephone calls, emails, meeting attendance and a post brief meeting. It does not cover travel time.
• ^ Hourly rates are aligned to rates for other lived experience initiatives within government and the community sector. The hourly rate is fixed to ensure participants in a group are paid the same amount, and for consistency across the activities. There is a minimum payment of two hours for online meetings and three hours for face-to-face meetings. Hourly rates are paid to VSAC members for the activities outlined in the table.
• The number of hours assigned to an activity will be discussed and agreed to in advance to ensure expectations and payment are clear prior to a VSAC member undertaking any work. For example, agreement would be reached in advance for attending a workshop to include 1-hour pre-reading and 2-hour workshop, 3-hours in total.
• VSAC appointments are sessional in nature: appointees are not expected to work a set number of days per week.

Mechanisms for payment

• VSAC members are appointed as sessional members and paid via the finance branch of Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

Travel guidelines

• Where a person with lived experience needs to travel for their engagement with government, they can seek reimbursement for travel costs. General principles are:
  • the default method of travel should be by the most economical and direct route
  • when accessible, safe and appropriate, public transport is the preferred method of travel
  • when using private vehicles government will reimburse for mileage costs and car parking (calculated at $0.72 per kilometre)
  • if a person has specific accessibility or safety requirements or is unable to use public transport, FSV can seek approval to issue a digital cab pass.

Accommodation guidelines

• Accommodation may be provided for people with lived experience on a case-by-case basis. For example, a person living in a rural or remote area is required to participate early in the day or where it is unsafe for them to drive long distances before and after their participation.

The role of a VSAC member

The role of a Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council member includes the following primary functions: 

• provide advice to the Victorian Government on the different and diverse experiences of family violence from the victim survivors' perspective to inform family violence reform initiatives
• provide advice and insights to the Victorian Government to influence the design, development and evaluation of services, programs, policy and law reform.
• identify issues and options for consideration by the government which have the potential to improve outcomes for people experiencing family violence.

VSAC advises the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence who appoints members to the Council. VSAC is a formal advisory council and operates within the Victorian Government’s standard appointment and remuneration guidelines for governance bodies.  

VSAC members participate in formal meetings every six weeks where the Council provides advice on specific issues related to the design, development and evaluation of a range of programs, policies, services and legislation. Members are expected to be able to attend 80 per cent of formal meetings held throughout the year.

Role accountabilities

VSAC members will be required to:

• provide insights and advice to government on the design, development and evaluation of a range of programs, policies, services and legislation based on their lived experience
• work as a member of a team to find a shared perspective on issues relating to the design of programs, policies, services and legislation.
• attend regular meetings and participate in discussions.

Key selection criteria and personal qualities

Suitable candidates will have:

• an ability to translate lived experience of family violence and the Victorian family violence system into advice for the government on systems change, policy development and service design  
• willingness to work as a member of a team, including listening to and respecting different perspectives, being open minded and curious, and collaborating to form collective positions on key issues
• an interest in growing both professionally and personally, through learning about new perspectives, issues and government processes. This includes developing a strong understanding of how the VSAC advisory role interacts with government and the broader community sector.

Members from diverse communities

The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that government boards and committees reflect the rich diversity of the Victorian community.

We encourage applications from people of all ages, Aboriginal people, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and from lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse, intersex and queer people. We will provide adjustments to the recruitment process upon request.

Members are appointed to ensure the composition of the group reflects the diversity of the community. While members may provide advice on behalf of members of their community or from the perspective of their identity group, they are not expected to assume a formal representative role on behalf of their communities.

Term of the role

The Victims Survivors’ Advisory Council is comprised of 15 positions.

Members are appointed for a two-year term, with a staggered annual membership and renewal process, with half of the Council concluding their terms every September. This enables a continuous process of renewal and to enable longer serving members to support newer members with orientation to the group.

The role of the VSAC Deputy Chair

The VSAC Deputy Chair is appointed to the role by the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence following a selection process supported by FSV. The role of the Deputy Chair is to support the Chair of VSAC, including to assist them with their role, the operation of VSAC meetings and alignment with VSAC’s terms of reference.

• The Deputy Chair’s responsibilities include:
• leading small group discussion at VSAC meetings and consultations
• providing a leadership role to ensure safe, collaborative and respectful engagement and participation of members
• meeting regularly with the Secretariat team and Chair to plan the approach to formal meetings and key engagements.
• providing strategic advice to government on how the expertise of lived experience and VSAC can support the family violence reforms.
• take on the role of Chair when the Chair is not available
• All VSAC members, including the Deputy Chair, are expected to able to attend 80 per cent of formal meetings held throughout the year.

Accountabilities

In addition to the accountabilities for a general VSAC representative, the Deputy Chair will be responsible for acting in the Chair role when the Chair is not available.

Alongside the Chair, the Deputy Chair will work with the Family Safety Victoria Secretariat team to plan the agenda and structure of formal meetings and key engagements, including providing strategic advice on approach and how information should be shared and presented clearly, and ensuring approaches are sensitive to the needs and preferences of VSAC members.  

Attributes

The VSAC Deputy Chair will bring the following attributes to their work:

• Leadership – an ability to create a culture of trust, safety and respect within the group and ensure VSAC members are actively participating in meetings and have the opportunity to influence and contribute towards the family violence reforms.
• Relationship management – an ability to manage constructive relationships with VSAC members, government and other stakeholders.
• Accountability and integrity – assisting and grounding the group in understanding the purpose of VSAC.
• Effective communication – to promote the value of lived experience, and the groups’ collective views across government.
• Emotional intelligence – ability to empathetically manage situations where strong emotions are present and to manage conflict.

Support and supervision

FSV will provide regular supervision via a regular catch up with a relevant FSV executive, to support the Deputy Chair to perform their role.

The role of the VSAC Chair

The VSAC Chair is appointed to the role by the Minister for Prevention of Family Violence and endorsed by Cabinet following a selection process conducted by FSV. The Chair is a critical leadership role within the Council and is responsible for:

• chairing VSAC meetings in a way that enables equitable participation of members, allows for fair and open discussion, adheres to the agenda and encourages consensus while respecting diversity of opinion
• providing a leadership role to ensure safe, collaborative and respectful engagement and participation of members
• meeting regularly with the Secretariat team and Deputy Chair to plan the approach to formal meetings and key engagements.
• providing strategic advice to government on how the expertise of lived experience and VSAC can support the family violence reforms
• representing VSAC on select committees, executive meetings, public and stakeholder events, forums
• representing VSAC from time to time through public speaking events and in the media, including social media.

All VSAC members, including the Chair, are expected to be able to attend 80 per cent of formal meetings held throughout the term of appointment.

Note: The VSAC Chair undertakes representative duties on behalf of the Council. The role also participates in other engagement opportunities through VSAC and is paid at an hourly rate as per attached schedule.

Accountabilities

In addition to the accountabilities for a general VSAC representative, the Chair will be responsible for:

• Chairing the VSAC meetings to ensure adequate time is allowed for the discussion of each agenda item, ensuring opportunity is available for all members to contribute and developing strong, cohesive and positive group dynamics.
• Working closely with the VSAC Secretariat team to plan the agenda and structure of formal meetings and key engagements, including providing strategic advice on approach and how information should be shared and presented clearly, and ensuring approaches are sensitive to the needs and preferences of VSAC members.

Attributes

The VSAC Chair will bring the following attributes to their work:

• Leadership – an ability to create a culture of trust, safety and respect within the group and ensure VSAC members are actively participating in meetings and have the opportunity to influence and contribute towards the family violence reforms.
• Relationship management – an ability to manage constructive relationships with VSAC members, government and other stakeholders.
• Accountability and integrity – assisting and grounding the group in understanding the purpose of VSAC.
• Effective communication – to promote the value of lived experience, and the Council’s collective views across government.
• Emotional intelligence – ability to empathetically manage situations where strong emotions are present and to manage conflict.

Support and supervision

FSV will provide supervision via a regular catch up with a relevant FSV executive, to support the Chair to perform their role.