EXTERNALLY-FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS Exploring Aboriginal women from the Northern Territory’s views and perspectives of family violence support services available following a family violence incident.
Over 70,000 Australian women sought homelessness services in 2016-2017 due to family violence. Aboriginal women are at greater risk than non-Aboriginal women. This qualitative research explored the major public health issue of family violence from the perspective of Aboriginal women in medium-term crisis accommodation in the Northern Territory who are likely to have needed to use one or more support services following a family violence incident. From a public health perspective, the aim was to inform service providers so that improvements can be made by using stories from women to build up a picture of the support services they perceive as available to them, the perceived relevance and usefulness of these services, their reported utilisation of these services, any barriers to accessing these services, and their perceived gaps in support services. Face to face interviews were conducted with six Aboriginal women with the assistance of an Aboriginal co-researcher. Women’s support experiences was mapped and illustrated recurring needs amongst the participating women including: a need to ensure personal safety; the need for assistance with planning for their immediate future; support relating to engagement with children and/or the welfare of their children; and the need for support workers to assist meeting these needs. The women also identified and sought support to manage alcohol and other drug misuse. These key experiences formed the foundation for the thematic analysis, which described the nature of these needs and confirmed that needs were being met. Women identified that the accommodation available gave them access to somewhere safe that was free from violence. They particularly identified the value of skilled support workers who were able *to* identify their needs, assist with navigating the services available in the sector, and coordinating the support women needed to plan for securing public or private housing.
These findings may be important for a small jurisdiction like the Northern Territory with a significant community need but high turnover of staff and limited services and resources. Having a designated coordinator as an approach to support women following a violent incident could be considered as a model for efficient use of resources and to see women better supported than other models that involve multiple support workers. The research also identified the value of working with Aboriginal women to inform service planning and design.
Project contact
Assoc Prof Robyn Aitken
Menzies School of Health Research
Funding Body
Menzies School of Health Research
Project start & End Dates
October 2017 – May 2018