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This paper reports an Australian project designed to simultaneously explore and capacity build professional practice when working at the intersection of parental mental health and/or problematic substance use and domestic violence (DV). Data from this paper are derived from two main sources: observations and ethnographic notes obtained during 28 Community of Practice (CoP) meetings and semi‐structured interviews with 28 CoP participants. Participants were front‐line workers from a range of government and non‐government organizations providing services to families experiencing DV across three Australian states who participated in The STACY Project: Safe and Together Addressing ComplexitY. Thematic analysis was employed to examine the research questions: How do professionals and organizations understand and respond to families experiencing DV, parental mental health difficulties and problematic substance use issues? How did practitioners report participation in the STACY Project reorienting professional practice with families experiencing DV, parental mental health difficulties, and substance misuse issues? This paper reports workers' exploration of practice implications. The research found that 'domestic violence blind' practice has become entrenched at the intersections of child protection, substance misuse and mental health problems, but a shared framework could bring practitioners from diverse sectors together to generate new ways of working with these complex problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) methodology was used with the aim of informing practice with children and families when domestic and family violence (DFV) and parental issues relating to alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and mental health (MH) are also present. A CIS is grounded in the literature, but includes questioning of the literature in order to problematise gaps, contradictions and constructions of issues. A review of the literature from 2010 to 2018 was conducted with the structured search strategy identifying 40 relevant research articles. Synthesis and critique of these articles revealed three mutually informative themes through which to understand the literature and how it can inform practice. They were as follows: differences in theoretical approaches and client focus; complexity of system's collaboration; and practices converging on mothers. Taken together, these themes facilitated the development of the synthesising construct: strengthening intersection between DFV, AOD and MH sectors. Attention to practice at multiple levels that responds to the dynamics of gender and the differing impacts of violence was often lacking, particularly in the context of heightened child protection concerns where collaboration between sectors is needed. Both promising and problematic practices relating to gender dynamics and accountability converged on mothers. While there were exceptions, generally, there was an absence of engagement with, and recognition of, the impacts of fathers' patterns of using violence and control on adult and child survivors. Promising practice related to the strengthening of the mother–child relationship and attention to MH and its intersection with domestic violence. Strengthening the intersections between DFV, AOD and MH practices with attention to keeping the perpetrator of violence in view is critical to overcoming the poor practice that can occur when sectors are siloed from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established in the literature that fathers who use violence harm women and children. Statutory child protection workers and other human service professionals now face strong injunctions to work with these men. However, insufficient attention has been given to considering the processes for intervening with fathers who use violence and the organisational context to support workers in refocusing their practice. Workers lack clear guidance, and organisations lack specific understandings of how to support workers in this complex area of practice. Australian research used co‐design with professionals in Communities of Practice supported by the Safe & Together Institute to explore the organisational context required to work with fathers who use violence. This paper presents findings of qualitative data gathered from surveys, focus groups, and ethnographic notes of 30 Community of Practice sessions. Working together, practitioners and researchers identified four essential elements to support organisational development and improve practice: leadership by senior managers; recognition that domestic violence work needs to strengthen collaborative working; extensive training, supervising, and coaching; and enhanced worker safety. Worker perspectives are critical in developing practice principles and identifying organisational mechanisms that support practitioners to work safely and effectively with fathers who use violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from this article are derived from responses to questionnaires provided by 232 frontline workers and team leaders from a range of organizations across four Australian states who participated in The Invisible Practices Project: Engaging With Fathers Who Use Violence. This project was designed to explore the practices of workers who see perpetrators of domestic violence outside the relative safety of group-work programs. Thematic analysis was employed to examine the research question: What is the organizational context that contributes to, or constrains, the practices of frontline workers intervening with fathers who use violence? This article reports the ways that agencies increase the visibility of, and practices with, fathers who use violence. Increasing the visibility of fathers who use violence is posited as a crucial driver of policy and practice reform aligned with feminist goals of eliminating sexist institutional practices. It is argued that such practices render fathers who use violence invisible, reinforce patriarchal views of family roles and responsibilities, intensify the scrutiny on the mothering of women survivors, and compound the impact of domestic violence. This article documents emerging practices that seek to redress practices that support patriarchal views of family roles and responsibilities and has implications for understanding the capacity of social workers and other professionals to intervene with fathers who use violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of a case-reading tool, developed by the Safe and Together Institute, deployed across five Australian states, and which engaged workers from child protection (CP) and specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) services. It aimed to assess the extent to which DFV is identified in CP case files and to assess the quality of case practice from a DFV-informed perspective, as documented in the case file. The Safe and Together approach to child welfare provides a robust foundation upon which practitioners from statutory and nonstatutory backgrounds can work collaboratively and reach consensus about how best to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children living with DFV. The case reading is both a process of transformative working for practitioners and an analytical tool through which their agencies can affect systemic change. IMPLICATIONS A national audit of 20 child protection case files using the Safe and Together case-reading process indicated that documented child protection practice sits at the lower end of a domestic and family violence-informed Continuum of Practice. Analysis indicates a need to improve: child protection engagement with fathers who use DFV, assessments of their parenting role and its impact on children and family functioning; identification of adult survivors’ protective capacities and their impact on children. Research in this area may have broader implications for other professions and government policy both nationally and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing appropriate pathways to assist children living with domestic and family violence (DFV) is challenging, particularly given the rise in police notifications to Child Protection (CP) relating to exposure to domestic violence. In this article, the argument is put that strong collaboration between organisations can provide a differential response in which only those children requiring an investigation are referred into CP, while all other children and their families are diverted to community-based organisations. This is foundational for the development of a more ethical and supportive response to children and their families living with DFV. The article draws on findings from a case study of the Multi-Agency Triage project in Melbourne, which developed through a collaborative risk assessment process a differential response to manage referrals of children living with DFV. The case study drew from observations of the triage, nine interviews, and analysis of administrative data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practice frameworks bridge the divide between research and practice. This paper shows how the translation of research into policy and practice led to the development of a practice framework to foster greater collaboration between child protection (CP) and specialist domestic and family violence (DFV) services. The framework supports safety for adult and child victims and raises the standard of accountability for fathers who use violence. In researching the challenges of collaborative work between CP and DFV services, this framework developed from a parallel collaborative process involving researchers, practitioners, and policy representatives from government and nongovernment organisations across five Australian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Policing domestic violence is a complex area in which there are divergent views about the extent to which front line police action should be mandated by legislation and guidance. This study set in Victoria, Australia raised questions about the balance between discretion and compulsion in policing domestic violence through researching the implementation of the Code of Practice used to respond to domestic violence incidents. The project team interrogated aggregate data from the police database on family violence and also interviewed 125 police members (60 sergeants and 65 constables) to explore the attitudes to the Code of Practice and policing domestic violence. The findings reveal that discretion within a range of options is circumscribed. Variable understandings of the nature of domestic violence and the role of risk assessment and management suggest that constrained and guided discretion may be required to achieve optimum effectiveness in policing responses to domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By INGRID RUDIE. Oslo: Scandinavian University Press 1994. Pp xi, 337. Bibliography, Indexes. Scholarly, colonial, media and local discourses have all contributed - if not in fact at least in [...]

The establishment of integrated responses to family violence represents a significant implementation challenge for locally-based networks. This research reports on the experiences of integrated family violence committees in Victoria, and the features of their governance associated with perceived effectiveness in committee functioning. There were consistent regional differences in the perceived effectiveness of committees. The main challenge for effective service integration was establishing and maintaining effective partnerships. There were substantial differences in the capacities of the committees to meet the challenges of integration, and the research points to the need for a stronger guidance and support role by central agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women with disabilities experience violence at greater rates than other women, yet their access to domestic violence services is more limited. This limitation is mirrored in domestic violence sector standards, which often fail to include the specific issues for women with disabilities. This article has a dual focus: to outline a set of internationally transferrable standards for inclusive practice with women with disabilities affected by domestic violence; and report on the results of a documentary analysis of domestic vio-lence service standards, codes of practice, and practice guidelines. It draws on the Building the Evidence (BtE) research and advocacy project in Victoria, Australia in which a matrix tool was developed to identify minimum standards to support the inclusion of women with disabilities in existing domestic violence sector standards. This tool is designed to inter-rogate domestic violence sector standards for their attention to women with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Family Violence Reform strategy in Victoria is one of a number of contemporary government initiatives that have been framed within a whole of government model of policy reform. This article shows how the principles and processes of the whole of government approach were applied to the social problem of family violence. We examine the reasoning behind the adoption of this approach, what it was intended to achieve, the processes and activities that took place and stakeholders' views about the outcomes and impact of this approach. The choice of a whole of government strategy reflected the need to address philosophical and organisational cultural differences about family violence and responses to it. Key elements were: the demonstrated commitment to reform and leadership provided by ministers, agency heads and senior managers; the involvement of community sector representatives; and the role of the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]