Introduce standardised risk assessment processes across government and non-government family and sexual violence services
Responsible government
- Tasmania
Fourth Action Plan actions
- Improve support and service system responses
- 16 Enable workforces to provide trauma-informed support with a focus on safety and recovery to victims and survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence.
What are we doing?
This action takes a critical step in working towards a more efficient and effective family and sexual violence service system. Safe at Home, Tasmania’s integrated criminal justice response, has been supported by an evidence-based Risk Assessment Screening tool to inform interventions. Under this action, the Tasmanian Government will support services to effectively identify, assess and manage risk to increase safety for victim-survivors. Services include Tasmanian Accident and Emergency departments; Child Health and Parenting Services; and all non-government funded family and sexual violence specialist services.
- Introduce standardised risk assessment processes across government and non-government family and sexual violence services is an action under Safe Homes, Families, Communities: Tasmania’s action plan for family and sexual violence 2019-2022 (Safe Homes, Families, Communities), which invests $26 million over three years from 2019-20 to 2021-22 to prevent and respond to family and sexual violence in Tasmania.
What have we achieved so far?
Between August and December 2020, the Department of Communities Tasmania commenced consultation with key stakeholders, including the Tasmanian Government’s Family Violence Counselling and Support Service, to begin planning for development of a standardised risk assessment tool.
What is next?
This project will continue in 2021-22 with development and implementation of the standardised risk assessment tool.
Development of the tool will complement and inform work to introduce standardised reporting across community-based services
What difference will we make?
The Tasmanian Government is committed to ensuring the service system is responsive, integrated and innovative, with actions informed by evidence and best practice.
Introducing standardised risk assessment processes across government and non-government family and sexual violence services will allow for better outcomes for victims based on a consistent, best-practice approach to risk assessment and risk management across the sector. This initiative will:
- help build early intervention and response capability across all key workforces that intersect with family violence;
- improve capacity of services to undertake accurate risk assessment and implement the consistent use of an evaluation and evidence-based tool;
- help build a common language, safety framework and practice across key services (government and non-government); and
- work towards a more efficient and effective family violence service system.