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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and their children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.

NOTEPAD

Don’t miss your opportunity to join us at the ANROWS National Research Conference

ANROWS Notepad | 25 February 2021

ANROWS NATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE

Join us for the ANROWS National Research Conference – registrations close 28 February!

Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with women with lived expertise, researchers, policymakers, practice designers and practitioners at the ANROWS National Research Conference. Join us for a panel discussion, facilitated by Rosie Batty AO, on the importance of including lived expertise when addressing violence against women. Get involved in a solution session on addressing the needs of children who are victims and survivors of domestic and family violence. Watch a panel, including Professor Dawn Bessarab and Professor Marcia Langton AO, discuss strengthening Indigenous communities. Listen to keynote speaker Dr Nadine Wathen (Canada) unpack the conference theme, “Evidence in Action”, and be present as the important conversation surrounding the criminalisation of coercive control continues in a panel discussion facilitated by ANROWS CEO, Dr Heather Nancarrow. Explore the live schedule and tailor your very own conference experience!

There is still time to register for the conference – registrations close at midnight this Sunday, 28 February – and we’d love to see you there.

REGISTER NOW
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Leading the way

Women in leadership are in the spotlight this International Women’s Day. The global UN Women theme, “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, celebrates the impact that women leaders in all spheres are having in the face of challenges both deep-seated and new.

Two recently released reports from the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) and the service provider DV West (in New South Wales) underline how important leadership is in the current climate, when certain populations are at heightened risk of gender-based physical and sexual violence and workplaces are having to respond with agility to the changing environment.

The AIC report, Who is most at risk of physical and sexual partner violence and coercive control during the COVID-19 pandemic?, the third in a series of reports investigating the “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence, demonstrated that the risk of experiencing physical and sexual violence in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was higher for specific groups of women: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, those aged 18 to 24, those with a restrictive health condition, pregnant women and women in financial stress. The report noted that this information is crucial for service providers’ ability to continue to meet the needs of women experiencing domestic violence during periods where situational stressors like increased social isolation and financial stress are heightening risks of domestic violence.

Proactive leadership at DV West enabled the service provider to adapt its service delivery to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic. Lesley Laing’s report, “A different way of doing it”: Providing domestic violence services during COVID, noted that staff consistently cited the decisive leadership from the CEO and team managers as a determining factor in fostering the confidence required to successfully implement a new model of service delivery.

Leading into International Women’s Day we acknowledge the valuable research being done in the violence against women field by women researchers, and the role that female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders play in shaping research taking place in their communities.


LGBTQ RELATIONSHIPS

Raising awareness about intimate partner violence in LGBTQ relationships

ANROWS, ACON and Relationships Australia NSW are launching a series of videos to raise awareness about LGBTQ-inclusive practice, challenge perceptions that domestic violence is a heterosexual issue and improve understanding of how intimate partner violence plays out in LGBTQ relationships. Aimed at professionals working with clients who may be impacted by sexual, domestic and family violence or using abuse in these contexts, the videos translate key findings from a joint research report, Developing LGBTQ programs for perpetrators and victims/survivors of domestic and family violence, funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

WATCH HERE
PRE-CONFERENCE SESSION ON MANAGING VICARIOUS TRAUMA

Session recording and slides now available

On Monday 22 February ANROWS, in partnership with Phoenix Australia, presented a pre-conference session for ANROWS National Research Conference delegates, “Managing the impact of working in the area of family and sexual violence”.

Anne-Laure Coineau, from Phoenix Australia, was engaging and enlightening as she ran this important session. Participants overwhelmingly found it informative, relevant and useful, with one noting, “As a new, young policymaker entering this sector, this was a great overall summary of the things I should be looking out for.”

If you would like to learn more about managing vicarious trauma in your work, the recording of the session and the presentation slides are now available.


2020–2022 ANROWS CORE GRANT RESEARCH PROGRAM

Exploring the intergenerational transmission of domestic and family violence

Two of the projects in ANROWS’s recently announced Core Grant Research Program investigate the impacts that exposure to domestic and family violence (DFV) in childhood have on the intergenerational transmission of violence and children’s mental health.

“Adverse childhood experiences and the intergenerational transmission of domestic and family violence in young people who engage in harmful sexual behaviour and violence against women”, led by Associate Professor John Rynne of Griffith University, speaks to the current gap in understanding the roles child maltreatment and DFV play in the development of sexually violent behaviour by young people towards women and children.

The project aims to inform policy and service design in terms of ongoing prevention and intervention efforts. It will also deepen understanding of the factors underpinning the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in the criminal justice and child protection systems.

In the second project, Carol Orr, of the University of Western Australia, leads a research team identifying the mental health service use and diagnoses of children exposed to DFV in Western Australia between 1987 and 2017. “Investigating the mental health of children exposed to domestic and family violence through the use of linked police and health records” will build on previous research into the mental health risks of exposure to DFV in childhood to generate findings to inform policy and best practice in service provision and prevention efforts.

New research and resources

You can access the resources in this list and all the other articles in Notepad in the ANROWS Library.

Resources

Fernandez, M., & Townsley, J. (2021). The handbook on gender-responsive police services: For women and girls subject to violence. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2021/handbook-on-gender-responsive-police-services-en.pdf?la=en&vs=5712

Books and reports

Anitha, S., Roy, A., & Yalamarty, H. (2021). Transnational marriage abandonment: A new form of domestic violence and abuse in transnational spaces. In J. Devaney, C. Bradbury-Jones, R. J. Macy, C. Øverlien, & S. Holt (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of domestic violence and abuse. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/transnational-marriage-abandonment-sundari-anitha-anupama-roy-harshita-yalamarty/e/10.4324/9780429331053-26?context=ubx&refId=1633e52a-c0c0-4baf-a8b8-408afbaa2b88

Office of the eSafety Commissioner. (2021). The digital lives of Aussie teens. Office of the eSafety Commissioner. https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/research/digital-lives-aussie-teens


New research articles

You can access the resources in this list and all the other articles in Notepad in the ANROWS Library.

Boxall, H., & Morgan, A. (2021). Who is most at risk of physical and sexual partner violence and coercive control during the COVID-19 pandemic? Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice (no. 618). https://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi618

Cullen, P., Dawson, M., Price, J., & Rowlands, J. (2021). Intersectionality and invisible victims: Reflections on data challenges and vicarious trauma in femicide, family and intimate partner homicide research. Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-020-00243-4

Cullen, P., Mackean, T., Walker, N., Coombes, J., Bennett-Brook, K., Clapham, K., Ivers, R., Hackett, M., Worner, F., & Longbottom, M. (2021). Integrating trauma and violence informed care in primary health care settings for First Nations women experiencing violence: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020985571

Delaney, A. X. (2021). The victimizing effect of violent socialization: Intimate partner use of coercive sexual practices transnationally. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624×21994064

Murphy, A., Hine, B., Yesberg, J. A., Wunsch, D., & Charleton, B. (2021). Lessons from London: A contemporary examination of the factors affecting attrition among rape complaints. Psychology, Crime & Law, 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2021.1880584

Rasmussen, V., Steel, Z., Spangaro, J., & Torok, M. (2021). Investigating the prevalence of intimate partner violence victimisation in women presenting to the emergency department in suicidal crisis. Emergency Medicine Australasia: EMA. https://doi.org/10.1111/1742-6723.13714

Satyen, L. (2021). Gender norms in the Indian migrant community in Australia: Family, community, and work roles. Journal of Gender Studies, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2021.1884535

Spangaro, J., Rutherford, A., Koziol-McLain, J., Herring, S., & Zwi, A. B. (2021). “It’s not a yes or no question”: Disparities between women’s accounts of disclosing intimate partner violence and patient documentation in antenatal settings: A qualitative synthesis. Psychology of Violence. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000367




Opportunities

DESIGN A BEST-PRACTICE MODEL FOR FINANCIAL ABUSE SERVICES

Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) is currently seeking expressions of interest for a project to design a best practice model to support victims and survivors of financial abuse as part of its Financial Abuse Service NSW.

In addition to designing the model, the project will involve delivery of a report outlining guiding principles to aid in the establishment of similar services in other states and territories.

For more information, and instructions on how to apply, visit Redfern Legal Centre. Applications close this Sunday, 28 February.

BREACHES OF FAMILY LAW PARENTING ORDERS: SURVEY

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) has been commissioned by ANROWS to undertake research into the compliance with and enforcement of family law parenting orders. The research will involve multiple studies, including a survey of legal and non-legal professionals working in the family law system.

You are invited to take part in this survey if you are a legal professional (including judicial officers, barristers and solicitors) or non-legal professional (including family dispute resolution practitioners, family violence sector professionals, and professionals working in post-separation support services, such as parenting order programs).

THE VOICES STUDY: HELP TO DISTRIBUTE SURVEYS FOR A NATIONAL STUDY

ANROWS and the University of Melbourne are conducting surveys of victims and survivors and people who use intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women as part of a project called “Transforming responses to intimate partner and sexual violence: Listening to the voices of victims, perpetrators and services” (the “Voices” study).

To help gather this important data, the research team are asking for your help in distributing the surveys. You can access information about the Voices survey for victims and survivors (women) here and about the survey for people (men, women and gender diverse) who use intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women here. Please feel free to share these survey links widely via newsletters, Twitter, Facebook and other social media.

The Voices study is led by Associate Professor Dominiek Coates at ANROWS and Professor Kelsey Hegarty at the University of Melbourne. It is part of a program of research led by ANROWS and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services under the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010–2022.

This study will develop recommendations for service and system improvements to better respond to victims and survivors, their children and perpetrators.

This project has received ethics approval from the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee.

Work with ANROWS

Senior Research Administration and Governance Officer (Research Program)

ANROWS is seeking a Senior Research Administration and Governance Officer (Research Program) with the skills required to support the implementation of the ANROWS Research Program in working towards an end to violence against women and their children.

The Senior Research Administration and Governance Officer will assist the Director, Research Program in the management of ANROWS Research Program, including the administration of a grants program and the coordination of commissioned research. They will work closely with externally commissioned researchers and other stakeholders to ensure high-quality research is delivered on time. Additional duties include project reporting, budget management, quality assurance and other project management and administrative duties as required.

This is a full-time position available until 30 June 2022. The successful applicant will be based at the ANROWS National Office in Sydney.

Applications for the position close at midnight on Monday 1 March 2021. Find out more about the role, and how to apply, on our Careers page.

Contribute to Notepad

If you have publications, resources, opportunities or events to promote, please forward them to enquiries@anrows.org.au.

Preferred format is a very brief outline (maximum 4 lines) and a link to further information.


 

 

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