PRACTICE GUIDE Quality practice elements for men’s behaviour change programs (MBCPs) in the Northern Territory
The Quality Practice Elements for Men’s Behaviour Change Programs (MBCPs) in the Northern Territory are a practice guide developed as part of ANROWS’s Evaluation of the Northern Territory’s men’s behaviour change programs. It provides guidance for people funding, designing and delivering men’s behaviour change programs, and those working more broadly to enhance community safety and wellbeing.
The quality practice elements (QPEs) for MBCPs in the Northern Territory focus on how to lift the overall quality of a men’s behaviour change program (MBCP). This evidence-informed framework draws together existing practice standards (including the Central Australian Minimum Standards for MBCPs) for the development, running and continuous improvement of MBCPs, as well as recent research and emerging practice-based knowledge about how to improve the quality of these programs, contextualised for the Northern Territory (NT).
The QPEs identify nine areas of quality practice in MBCPs, and 60 elements describing “what good looks like” across these themes:
- Program design, aims and objectives
- Integrated governance and practice
- Risk assessment, analysis and management
- Women’s and children’s safety support (partner support)
- Theoretical models and curriculum development
- Access and participation
- Tailoring MBCP work
- Building a high-quality team
- Monitoring and program review
The QPEs will be useful for both stakeholders within and outside of the NT in considering what quality practice in MBCPs might look like in various contexts and jurisdictions. While many practice elements would apply equally across different contexts and jurisdictions, for some elements, the considerations or contextual factors that might affect quality practice are likely to differ from place to place. Some elements would also need to be adapted to fit the specific legislative requirements of the jurisdiction the MBCP might be operating in.
ANROWS was commissioned by the Northern Territory Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities (TFHC; now Department of Children and Families) to undertake process evaluations of two MBCPs in the Northern Territory: the Perpetrator Intervention Service in Darwin and the Marra’ka Mbarintja Men’s Family Violence Prevention Program in Alice Springs. The quality practice elements for MBCPs in the NT were developed as part of answering the overarching evaluation question: “What might quality MBCP practice look like in the context of the Northern Territory?” ANROWS has also developed a self-assessment rubric to support providers to assess their own programs against the quality practice elements.
There is also a downloadable Quick Reference Guide that provides a summary of the nine quality practice themes and the elements relevant to each theme.
The QPEs were developed as part of ANROWS’s Evaluation of the Northern Territory’s men’s behaviour change programs.
Suggested citation
Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2025). Quality practice elements for men’s behaviour change programs (MBCPs) in the Northern Territory [Practice guide]. ANROWS.