INSIGHTS

Preventing domestic and family violence:
Action research reports from five Australian local government councils

The purpose of this volume is to document the use of action research in evaluating domestic and family violence (DFV) prevention activities in local government authorities (LGAs) around Australia.

The volume is intended for DFV prevention practitioners in local government and other community services. It provides insights into DFV prevention work in the local government context. It also demonstrates the use of action research as a means of integrating evaluation processes and continuous improvement into everyday DFV prevention work.

The reports in this volume arose from the work of five LGAs around Australia that trialled the draft Local council domestic and family violence prevention toolkit (“the toolkit”). The toolkit was developed by Palladium under contract to the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS).

The reports cover work undertaken both within council organisations and with the community, including:

• Creative arts activities undertaken in the City of Charles Sturt (South Australia) to raise awareness of the prevalence and impact of domestic and family violence;
• Community engagement activities initiated by Latrobe City Council (Victoria) to promote understanding of the drivers of domestic and family violence and preventative actions;
• A staff training program run by Mackay Regional Council (Queensland)  to build the knowledge and understanding of DFV and bystander action among staff members and community leaders;
• A staff gender equality survey developed and administered by the City of Mandurah (Western Australia), which focused on understanding attitudes among staff; and
• A gender audit of theatre programs offered by Riverside Theatre, a council facility in the City of Parramatta (NSW).

 

Publication details

This report is part of the ANROWS Insights publications series and is not intended to be a research report but rather is a project report that outlines selected work and findings of the Local Government Toolkit Trials Evaluation.

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Editors

DR PETER NINNES
Project Manager, ANROWS

CELESTE KOENS
Project Officer (Evaluation), ANROWS

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ISBN: 978-1-925925-09-8 (print) | 978-1-925925-10-4 (online)

46 pp.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Ninnes, P., & Koens, C. (Eds.). (2019). Preventing domestic and family violence: Action research reports from five Australian local government councils (ANROWS Insights, 06/2019). Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety.