PRACTICE GUIDE Outreach with and for Aboriginal women experiencing domestic and family violence: A practice guide
This resource provides a guide for assertive outreach practice with Aboriginal women in both crisis and non-crisis situations.
The practice guide has been developed from learnings from a research project with three independent women’s specialist services in two regions in Australia: Central Australia and Canberra. The research found that Aboriginal women as individual clients value the flexibility and responsiveness of the assertive outreach. Providing outreach services to women in places and communities which are marginalised and disadvantaged is critical for responding to those experiencing domestic and family violence, as well as working with communities and others for longer term prevention.
This resource answers the following questions:
- What are key features of an outreach service?
- What is assertive or proactive outreach?
- What do outreach practices look like?
- What are outreach service activities?
- How can outreach be underpinned by a community development approach?
- What does outreach look like in service structures?
- What are the varying factors that contribute to the ability for outreach services to be effective?
This practice guide will be useful for practitioners, particularly practitioners who have a focus on the experiences of domestic and family violence for Aboriginal women living in remote and regional areas. The research also produced practice guides on safety planning and advocacy which complement this practice guide.
Suggested citation
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2017). Outreach with and for Aboriginal women experiencing domestic and family violence: A practice guide. ANROWS.