EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Family violence perpetrator-focused screening and risk assessment: Identifying current practice and future opportunities
Background
Findings from recent reviews, including the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, the Queensland Special Taskforce "Not Now Not Ever" report and the work of the Council of Australian Governments, have revealed the need to develop new policies and practices to better respond to perpetrators of domestic and family violence (DFV). This project will conduct the first national examination of current practices and future directions for screening, identifying, assessing and managing men’s risk of DFV perpetration across specialist men’s and mainstream services in Australia.
Aim
This project aims to:
- address the current knowledge gap surrounding DFV screening and risk assessment practices among services responding to identified DFV perpetrators
- identify current screening, risk identification and referral practices for DFV in men accessing non-DFV specific services
- examine current risk assessment practices for men identified as DFV perpetrators and critically examine how these translate into information sharing and coordinated risk monitoring and management.
Methods
To achieve its aims, the project adopts a multi-methods research design that combines qualitative and quantitative data collection, including a scoping review, a national survey and practitioner focus groups. This will allow the research to capture current practice, to identify better practice and future challenges, and to develop new knowledge and practice recommendations.