DFV Perpetrator Program Innovation
Responsible government
- Queensland
Fourth Action Plan actions
- Improve support and service system responses
- 18 Improve access to and embed trauma-informed support for perpetrators of domestic, family and sexual violence to prevent reoffending and promote rehabilitation and treatment.
What are we doing?
The Queensland Government will continue to explore innovation in delivery of Perpetrator Programs, such as exploring digital program delivery options for regional and remote men, and enhancing cultural appropriateness for diverse populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.
What have we achieved so far?
Invested $10.3 million over four years from 2016-17 for perpetrator interventions, including men’s behaviour change programs in the community, to enhance and expand programs and respond to an increase in demand for services.
Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) has invested $181,900 in the 2019-20 financial year to increase access to community-based perpetrator interventions to prevent reoffending and promote rehabilitation. QCS has completed a pilot of a domestic and family violence perpetrator program in three correctional centres. The program addressed the specialist needs of this high-risk offender cohort prior to their return to the community. During the period of the trial, a number of prisoners at the Woodford, Wolston and Maryborough correctional centres completed the behaviour change program in custody.
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General has commissioned a one-year online pilot of a perpetrator intervention program, which is currently being delivered by the Domestic Violence Prevention Centre Gold Coast and evaluated by Griffith University. It aims to assess the outcomes, safety and viability of perpetrator programs conducted online and determine whether they are a suitable alternative when face-to-face delivery is not accessible or appropriate.
The Queensland Government has implemented perpetrator intervention program requirements that set a minimum program standard for services, leading to quality outcomes for victims and perpetrators, as well as consistency across the sector. The requirements are related to:
- gender of co-facilitators
- qualifications and experience of facilitation staff
- role, experience and frequency of an observer
- role, qualifications, experience, frequency and duration of a victim advocate
- maximum number of group participants
- duration of group programs.
The new requirements were published on 1 July 2021, and perpetrator intervention programs will be required to be compliant from 1 January 2022.
What is next?
Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) is progressively implementing recommendations from the process evaluation of the custodial domestic and family violence perpetrator program. As part of the 2021-22 State Budget, QCS received funding for victim advocacy services in 2021-22 and 2022-23 with procurement for these services underway. The custodial program is due to re-commence at the three trial sites no later than early 2022.
Going forward there will be:
- Increased accessibility to information sessions for corrective services staff.
- More perpetrators under supervision of QCS in the Gold Coast and Logan/Beenleigh jurisdictions will have access to a DFV perpetrator program to address DFV behaviours.
- Greater flexibility of options for remote, rural and culturally diverse populations, including a better understanding of the feasibility and effectiveness of online perpetrator interventions.
What difference will we make?
The indicators that will be used to measure out success include:
- An increased proportion of perpetrators who are assessed for perpetrator intervention programs
- An increased proportion of perpetrators who commence a behaviour change program or other perpetrator intervention
- An increased proportion of perpetrators who complete a behaviour change program or other perpetrator interventions.