McAuley and the University of Melbourne have made a submission to the Department of Social Services to inform the Second Action Plan under Australia’s National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (National Plan), based on learnings from the Safe at Home trial.
The National Plan is the overarching national policy framework that aims to guide actions towards ending violence against women and children in one generation. The Second Action Plan will build on the First Action Plan and help guide national efforts from 2027. It provides an important opportunity to recognise and resource models that respond to the interconnected impacts of violence, prevent homelessness, strengthen economic security, support children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right, and engage people who use violence in ways that strengthen safety and accountability.
The central argument of the joint submission is that victim-survivors, children and young people – as well as people who use violence – benefit most from integrated, coordinated, sustained and flexible responses that begin earlier and work with all family members. It draws on the implementation and preliminary evaluation of the Safe at Home trial, making 5 key recommendations:
- Invest in integrated whole-of-family responses as a national family violence model
- Prioritise earlier intervention and outreach before crisis, homelessness and system escalation
- Recognise housing stability, homelessness prevention and women’s economic security as core family violence outcomes
- Recognise and invest in children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right
- Build a coordinated and sustainable system that reduces re-traumatisation and strengthens accountability
Read the full submission below.