Refreshing the Family Safety Framework
Responsible government
- South Australia
Fourth Action Plan actions
- Respond to sexual violence and sexual harassment
- 14 Deliver client-centred, trauma-informed, specialised and consistent support to victims and survivors of sexual violence.
- Improve support and service system responses
- 17 Collaborate across services, sectors and workforces to ensure responses to women affected by domestic, family and sexual violence are coordinated, meet women’s needs, avoid women having to retell their story and promote their recovery.
What are we doing?
A risk assessment tool used by government and non-government services is being expanded to include cohort specific risk factors.
What have we achieved so far?
The South Australian Government has developed cohort specific risk factors included in online risk assessments undertaken by agencies for women experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence who can then be referred to the Family Safety Framework if found to be at high risk.
What is next?
The Family Safety Framework is in the final stages of digitisation, with a new online portal ready for launch in January 2021. This work has been fast-tracked in recognition of the impact of COVID-19 and the restrictions on services being able to meet face-to-face. Family Safety Meetings are held fortnightly across 17 police regions in South Australia with ten to twenty attendees representing local services at each meeting. From 1 July 2020, all Family Safety Meetings have become online based through the Microsoft Teams platform with all data now captured online. In 2020-21, 373 Family Safety Meetings were held with 410 individual cases discussed.
What difference will we make?
The Family Safety Framework seeks to ensure that services to families most at risk of violence are provided in a structured and systematic way, through agencies sharing information and taking responsibility for collaborative support. Inclusion of cohort specific factors in risk assessment will ensure that factors outside usual risk assessment will be considered that may affect the seriousness of the violence being experienced. Specific factors may include, cultural background, gender identity, and/or living with a disability.