This objective aims to ensure that Victorian families, carers and individuals have respectful relationships and are safe from harm, fear and neglect in their homes. This includes addressing the compounding effects of abuse and violence; improving support and recovery for victim survivors and engaging with perpetrators of violence to help them to change their behaviour and ensuring the wellbeing of children and young people in care.
Objective 2 objective indicators
To succeed, we will:
- reduce abuse and neglect of children and young people
- increase safe, respectful family relationships
- improve development and wellbeing for children and young people
- increase the stability of care services placements
- increase connections to culture, family and kinship systems for Aboriginal families including for Aboriginal children in care
- reduce over-representation of Aboriginal children and young people in care services
- reduce the incidence and impact of family violence, including over-represented cohorts of women and children
- increase safety for victim survivors of family violence.
Objective 2 initiatives
To meet this objective, we will:
- deliver and implement the third Rolling Action Plan under Ending Family Violence: Victoria’s 10-year plan for change
- build support for the next stage of primary prevention of family and gendered violence in Victoria, including by supporting Respect Victoria on implementation of the Ballarat Saturation model and developing clear roles and responsibilities across the prevention sector
- advance statewide family violence risk assessment and information sharing by revising the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) framework and Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) guidelines to ensure they continue to reflect evidence-based best practice and progress statewide implementation
- develop a family violence crisis and emergency accommodation strategy with the specialist family violence sector
- implement the Sexually Abusive Behaviour Treatment Service (SABTS). This initiative supports children and young people (under the age of 18 years) displaying or using harmful sexual behaviour
- strengthen safety and support for children and young people experiencing family violence through direct practice and risk assessment, supported by the Child and Young Person’s MARAM practice guidance and tools
- understand and demonstrate the impact of our work to prevent and respond to family violence by strengthening implementation of the Family Violence Outcomes Framework
- continue to modernise the Family Services platform to provide a more sustainable, evidence-based and targeted system of support across Connecting, Strengthening and Restoring Families
- implement a Safe Spaces program for LGBTIQA+ young people in Western Victoria to provide social connection and mental health and wellbeing supports in Ballarat and Geelong.
- improve supports for children and young people by continuing to enhance the delivery of therapeutic supports in all residential care homes and modernising home based care including the introduction of additional therapeutic foster care placements and enhanced supports for carers.
- Improve and enhance supports for service users by delivering tailored supports to young people transitioning from care services, including through Better Futures and Home Stretch and Housing First.
- implement Victorian Redress for Historical Institutional Abuse to provide redress and formal acknowledgment of harm caused and lifelong impacts of abuse in institutional care in Victoria
- improve our use of data insights through the Menu of Evidence. This provides searchable and independent information on evidence-based practice for children, young people, families and carers
- improve our use of insights from people with lived and living experience including from the Minister for Children’s Youth Advisory Group (MYAG).