No to Violence works closely with our members and across the national sector to establish best practice for everyone who works with men who use violence. A strong sector is essential for ending men’s use of family violence, and by leveraging and elevating the voices of over 200 organisations and professionals our membership, we strengthen the sector.
MARAM Alignment – Family Safety Advocate Practice Guidance
As Victoria continues to implement sector-wide family violence reform, consistency of
practice is essential in ensuring victim-survivors are provided timely and appropriate support,
while perpetrators are kept in view. The role of Family Safety Advocates has long been vital in
this space, providing a bridge focused on safety and accountability between victim-survivors
and perpetrators engaging in specialist interventions.
No to Violence has led a Family Safety Advocate Community of Practice since February 2020.
It was identified that as the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management
(MARAM) Framework rolls out across the state, it is necessary to provide services with
additional guidance around alignment to the Framework. This will aim to both standardise
the roles of Family Safety Advocates and elevate the important work undertaken by these
practitioners.
No to Violence’s National First People’s Family Violence Network.
Formerly known as the No to Violence’s First Nation’s Drop-in, these virtual meetings are held every second Friday of the month, from 11:30 am to 1 pm AEST.
Hosted by No to Violence’s National Sector Development Manager Kyalie Moore, this monthly check-in meeting will be an opportunity to share what people are seeing and experiencing in Community. This forum also offers support and shares resources.
Prior to June 2021, these meetings were held weekly and known as the First Nation’s Drop-in. All meetings minutes from 2021 can be found below and all minutes from 2020 can be found on this page under ‘COVID-19 specific resources for practitioners’:
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 1
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 2
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 3
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 4
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 5
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 6
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 7
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 8
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 9
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 10
National First People’s Family Violence Network # 11
COVID-19 specific resources for practitioners
Across the pandemic, No to Violence has been working with its members and colleagues across the sector to share lessons and practice.
Men’s Referral Service
The Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491) received funding from the Commonwealth Government in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic to expand support available across the country during these unprecedented times where risks and prevalence of family violence is high.
No matter where you are in Australia, No to Violence is currently delivering:
- The Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491), providing one-off counselling, de-escalation and referral to longer terms local supports such as Men’s Behaviour Change Programs.
- A brief intervention service, providing multiple counselling sessions to keep perpetrators engaged in the system whilst they await longer terms supports (i.e. due to long waiting lists as a result of physical distancing restrictions limiting service availability).
Physical distancing restrictions required for interventions
Different jurisdictions across Australia are at different points of the pandemic, which will have impacts on the way interventions are delivered. Organisations should visit their respective state government websites to ensure they have the most up to date advice.
No to Violence has been funded by the Commonwealth Government to provide Remote Working Toolkit training – evidence-informed training to support get the best outcomes in interventions. More information is here.
Agencies are working hard across the nation to assist men to address their violence and abusive behaviour during these times. This page provides links to government COVID-19 restrictions and information on practice for the sector that works with men who use violence. If you need additional assistance, please contact communications@ntv.org.au.
Online Men’s Behaviour Change Program (MBCP) Practice Bulletins
COVID-19, ongoing restrictions, and the impacts upon accessibility of face-to-face MBCP groups has prompted No to Violence (NTV) to host online MBCP interventions forums. The intention of these forums is to bring to light some of the issues working with men who use violence in the online space.
BETTER MAN
You may find yourself under increased strain under social distancing, or arguments with your family have become more common. Things you once considered small may now seem huge.
BETTER MAN is a new and confidential website that can help: http://public.betterman.org.au.
BETTER MAN aims to motivate men who are worried about their behaviour to seek help at an early stage. The website is in three modules focusing on relationships, values and communication. All modules have online messaging and feedback tailored according to user input.
BETTER MAN is a collaboration between the University of Melbourne and No to Violence.
Practice Bulletins
Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, No to Violence and the Men’s Referral Service have used our regular drop-in sessions to maintain contact and support with sector workers during COVID-19, across the nation. The drop-in sessions have acted as a catalyst to share ideas and knowledge of the sector to assist and support everyone working to end men’s use of violence – we have developed a number of Practice Bulletins:
Practice Bulletin 1 (24 March 2020) – Advice around closure of Men’s Behaviour Change Programs
Practice Bulletin 2 (9 April 2020) – Adjusting to lock down, observed behaviours and telephone engagement during a pandemic
Practice Bulletin 3 (17 April 2020) – Gambling and the impact of, and responses to, COVID-19 on the broader domestic and family violence sector
Practice Bulletin 4 (1 May 2020) – Children and fathering, and elder abuse as well as a practice note on fathering.
Practice Bulletin 5 (8 May 2020) – Measuring outcomes and suicide risk during pandemic.
Practice Bulletin 6 (16 May 2020) – Impact of COVID-19 on LGBTIQA+ communities, and family law.
Practice Bulletin 7 (22 May 2020) – Cumulative impact of natural disasters and COVID-19, mental health and counselling, disability.
Practice Bulletin 8 (19 June 2020) – Self care and managing expectations, supervision and online service delivery.
Practice Bulletin 9 (25 May 2020) – Women’s services’ experience of COVID-19.
Practice Bulletin 10 (1 June 2020) – Summary of drop-ins from sector practitioners and online abuse
Practice Bulletin 11 (8 June 2020) – Coercive control support and further training.
Practice Bulletin 12 (15 June 2020) – with Christine Craik, President of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
Practice Bulletin 14 (2020) – General program updates
Practice Bulletin 15 (2020) – Gender and Disaster Pod and Information Sharing
Practice Bulletin 16 (2020) – Tech Facilitated Interventions and ANROWS Knowledge Translation
Practice Bulletin 17 (2020) – Remote Working Toolkit and Family Safety Contact Work
Practice Bulletin 18 (2020) Animal abuse and domestic and family violence (DFV)
Practice Bulletin 19 (2020) – Delivering Online Men’s Behaviour Change Programs during the pandemic.
Practice Bulletin 20 (2020) – MBCP Program Evaluation and Methodology with Dr Melissa Kaltner, associate director of Ernst Young and Oceania Evaluation Practice Network
Practice Bulletin 21 (2021) – ‘Yarning Two- Ways’- engaging First Nations Communities and the unique needs of Aboriginal men and practitioners in Men’s Behaviour Change Programs.
Practice Bulletin 22 (2021) – Evaluating behaviour change programs for men who use domestic and family violence.
Practice Bulletin 23 (2021) Central Australia Minimum Standards (CAMS) for Men’s Behaviour Change Programs & the Tangentyere Men’s Family Violence Prevention Program “Marra’ka Mbarintja”
Practice Bulletin 24 (2021) – Sexualised Violence in Intimate Partner Relationships
Practice Bulletin (2021) – Pornography, how does its use show up in the work with men and what are their partners saying.
First Nations Practice Bulletins (2020)
Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, No to Violence and the Men’s Referral Service have used drop-in sessions every Wednesday in 2020 to maintain contact and support with sector workers. These resources are created for those working with First Nations.
2020
Community of Practice Bulletins
Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, No to Violence and the Men’s Referral Service have used our regular drop-in sessions to maintain contact and support with sector workers.
Community of Practice Bulletin 1 (15 April 2020) – Contacting the affected family members, risk management for children, MARAM and communication with MBCP facilitators.
Community of Practice Bulletin 2 (27 April 2020) – Administrative changes to practice, consideration of practice changes that might be beneficial to continue post COVID-19, and updates to MBCPs.
Community of Practice Bulletin 3 (12 May 2020) – Summary of ANROWS research, Family Safety Advocacy work.
MARAM Practice Bulletins (Victoria)
Since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, No to Violence has worked closely with Family Safety Victoria and other sector organisations to develop practice guidance for the family violence services
MARAM Practice Guide – Practice Note Update: Minimum response to victim survivors during COVID-19 period
MARAM Practice Guide – Practice Note Update: Specialist perpetrator behaviour change services minimum response to perpetrators during coronavirus (COVID-19) period
MARAM Practice Guide – Practice Note Update: Tier 2/3 services supporting responses to victim survivors and perpetrators during coronavirus (COVID-19) period
MARAM Practice Guide – Practice Note Update: Resource for working with adolescents using family violence and their families, during coronavirus (COVID-19) period
Legal referrals during COVID-19 for people experiencing and using family violence (Victoria)
Victorian Legal Aid has developed fact sheets for family violence practitioners making legal referrals during COVID-19 for people experiencing and using family violence.
Legal referrals during Covid-19 for respondents (PDF)
Legal referrals during Covid-19 for clients experiencing family violence (PDF)
Brief Intervention Service (BIS)
Facilitated by Men’s Referral Service counsellors, the Brief Intervention Service (BIS) is a flexible, multi-session service that is designed to intervene at a point in time to address risk as they begin the behaviour change journey by providing counselling support and referral options to assist men to get further support.
BIS focuses on providing short term multi-sessional telephone support for men who use family violence, men who are on a waiting list for family violence support (such as Men’s Behaviour Change Program) and men who are unable to access family violence support because of:
- Services are not readily available, and unable to take active referrals due to waitlists.
- Men who live in remote or regional areas.
- Men who have barriers to attend group programs.
- Men who are from non-English speaking background.
It is important to note that the Brief Intervention Service is not, and does not replace a men’s behaviour change program or groups.
Access to the Brief Intervention Service will be via:
- An internal referral from the Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491) following an initial assessment by a telephone counsellors.
- A referral from other services for their clients:
Men’s Accommodation and Counselling Service (MACS)
Facilitated by Men’s Referral Service qualified counsellors and The Salvation Army, the Men’s Accommodation and Counselling Service (MACS)* works with men who have been excluded from the home due to their use of family violence.
This service is designed for men who have used family violence and:
- Have been excluded (via a Family Violence Intervention Order or Family Violence Safety Notice) from the home due to family violence.
- In need of crisis accommodation.
- Require specialist support during the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying restrictions.
- Interested in engaging in counselling support to address their behaviour.
Access to MACS will be via:
- An internal referral from the Men’s Referral Service (1300 766 491) following an initial assessment by a telephone counsellors.
- A referral from other services for their clients:
Click here to view the 2021 Evaluation of the Perpetrator Accommodation Support Service by EY.
*Formerly Perpetrator Accommodation and Support Service (PASS)
Victorian Specialist Family Violence Advisor Capacity Building Program in Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Services
The Royal Commission into Family Violence (2016) found that alcohol and drug services and mental health services play a direct role in identifying and responding to family violence. In response to Recommendations 98 and 99, Specialist Family Violence Advisor (SFVA) positions were established to build capacity in these sectors and to strengthen relationships with specialist family violence services.
No to Violence provides statewide coordination for the SFVA Capacity Building Program in Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Services, supporting approximately 40 SFVAs across Victoria. The SFVAs work within area mental health and alcohol and drug services, alongside clinicians to build workforce capability and capacity to ensure clients experiencing or using family violence receive appropriate and safe responses.
In collaboration with the Department of Health and Family Safety Victoria, No to Violence contributed to the development of the updated program guidelines and the implementation of reporting. The guidelines and a reporting template have been published and are now in effect and can be viewed here
Please contact NTV’s Statewide Coordinator for more information on the program: sfvaprogram@ntv.org.au
