RESEARCH SUMMARY

Making change with men: Perpetrator interventions research

Several reports published recently under ANROWS’s Perpetrator Interventions Research Stream have provided useful insights into areas of best practice to reduce domestic and family violence re-offending.

Engaging men

Engagement techniques are needed to reduce attendance attrition in programs, including mandated programs. A forthcoming report on Exploring the client-worker relationship in men’s behaviour change programs examines the importance of a personalised approach to working with men, while Engaging men: Invitational narrative approaches investigates a particular practice approach to achieving this.

Collaborative practice

The importance of collaborative, interagency practice in addressing DFV reoffending is highlighted in our report on Invisible practices: Intervention with fathers who use violence, as well as the forthcoming Improved accountability: The role of perpetrator intervention systems.

Tailored interventions for specific cohorts

ANROWS research has identified strategies and principles for tailoring interventions to specific cohorts to enhance effectiveness. The theme of collaborative practice identified above emerged strongly in each of these studies, which highlighted the need for the DFV sector to partner with services for specific cohorts. These specifically included:

Young people: The PIPA project: Positive interventions for perpetrators of adolescent violence in the home found that responses to young people who use violence against their families—including court responses —must take a whole-of-family approach to risk assessment, support and accountability. Good practice in delivering and evaluating interventions for young people with harmful sexual behaviours examines strategies for working with this cohort, who account for a significant proportion of sexual abuse against children and young people.

LGBTQ people: Developing LGBTQ programs for perpetrators and victims/survivors of domestic and family violence highlights the need to improve recognition and understanding of LGBTQ DFV, within both LGBTQ communities and mainstream services. It suggests the development and trial of programs tailored to address the unique and diverse needs among LGBTQ populations, such as identity-based abuse, and trauma from minority stress.

Men from refugee backgrounds: Best practice principles for interventions with domestic and family violence perpetrators from refugee backgrounds highlights the need to recognise pre-migration trauma and settlement challenges—as well as refugee family community structures—when developing interventions for men from refugee backgrounds who use violence.

Aboriginal men: Currently in preparation, ANROWS research into Improving family violence legal and support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men who are perpetrators of family violence  examines practical and legal supports as part of a holistic intervention available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men who are perpetrators of family violence.  A forthcoming report also explores the positive role of Law and Culture in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in responding to and preventing family violence, with community participants stressing the need for men’s involvement in these conversations.

Safety and accountability planning (also known as exit planning)

ANROWS research on Evaluation readiness, program quality and outcomes in men’s behaviour change programs identified that program quality can be improved by strengthening safety and accountability planning, that is, by ensuring that men leaving programs have documented specific strategies to maintain any positive attitudinal and behavioural change. Safety and accountability plans may also note areas where change still needs to happen, and be provided to other agencies to support coordinated, systemic risk management.

ANROWS continues to build strong track record in evaluation and M&E support

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are key business-as-usual activities for DFV/VAW services who want to know what works for their clients and how services can improve their delivery. M&E is also a means of building an evidence base around the quality of an organisation’s services which can then be used to support further funding applications.

For the last two years, ANROWS has been building its experience and capability in project and program evaluation and evaluation capacity- building for the DFV/VAW sector. Recently completed projects have included action research as well as end-line evaluations. Several projects have included building the capacity of sector workers to undertake all stages of evaluation: planning, implementation, data collection and analysis and reporting.

Capacity-building activities typically involve facilitating Communities of Practice, running workshops, and providing webinars and one-on-one support via telephone, video call or email. Much of this work has been undertaken remotely, which places ANROWS in a strong position to continue to provide valuable support to the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recently a project team, comprising project manager Dr Peter Ninnes and project officer Celeste Koens, was engaged by the Municipal Association of Victoria to evaluate the Free from Violence Local Government Grants Program  and the role of the Association in supporting local governments’ violence-prevention initiatives.

To date, ANROWS has undertaken a range of other evaluation and capacity-building projects, including:

• an action research evaluation of the 1800RESPECT Disability Referral Pathways project
• the first phase of work supporting the Office for Women in the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet to develop monitoring instruments for and build[RG7] ing evaluation capacity in projects funded under the Free from Violence initiative. (ANROWS recently commenced the second phase of this project to support a range of funded organisations to plan and undertake evaluation. The work will also involve synthesising project reports to identify gains made against the Free from Violence initiative outcomes.)
• the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Projects with Action Research initiative
• the Building Safe Communities for Women and their Children initiative .

Read more about ANROWS’s evaluation work .

New resources and reports

Resources

Boxall, H., Morgan, A., Dowling, C., Brown, R., Voce, I., & Boyd, C. (2020, March 17). Domestic violence offending and reoffending in Australia: Key findings from AIC research [Youtube video].

Victim Support Service. (2020). The Rainbow Safety Guide. 

Reports

Byers, S., Sutherland, G., Vashishtha, R., Kavenagh, M., Bollier, A.-M., Krnjacki, L., . . . Kavanagh, A. (2020). The Australian Disability and Violence Data Compendium. Melbourne: Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health.

Crisan, D. (2020). Economic Policy Trends: The Domestic Violence Crisis and COVID-19: Can Short Term Rentals Help? [Communiqués]. The School of Public Policy Publications, 13.

Hyland, M., Djankov, S., & Goldberg, P. J. (2020). Gendered laws and women in the workforce (Working Paper 20-7). Retrieved from Peterson Institute for International Economics website.

Roy, K. (2020). Here’s how to achieve gender equality after the pandemic.

The Group of Eight. (2020). COVID-19 Roadmap to Recovery: A Report for the Nation.

Usher, K., Bhullar, N., Durkin, J., Gyamfi, N., & Jackson, D. (2020). Family violence and COVID-19: Increased vulnerability and reduced options for support [Editorial]. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, Advanced online publication.

Wilson, D., Mikahere-Hall, A., Sherwood, J., Cootes, K., & Jackson, D. (2019). Wāhine Māori: Keeping safe in unsafe relationships. NZ: Taupua Waiora Māori Research Centre.

Yi, W. (2020). How Does Industry Gender Ratio Affect Workplace Sexual Assault against Women? – A Panel Analysis in Canada (Public and International Affairs – Research papers).