Why is this a priority?
Family violence has particularly significant consequences for children and young people. Whether they are directly targeted, have witnessed violence toward another family member, or are exposed to the effects of violence (such as living with constant tension and fear, instability due needing to seek refuge, broken property and/or injured family members), children and young people must be recognised as victim survivors in their own right.
The Personal Safety Survey found, in 2014–15, that nearly 2.1 million women and men were estimated to have witnessed violence towards their mother by a partner before the age of 15.This data further shows that around half of women who experienced Domestic Family Violence (DFV) had children in their care when the violence occurred with over half of these stating that the children had seen and heard the violence. Despite its prevalence, this continues to be a well-recognised research gap.
A deeper understanding of how children and young people experience family violence and its impacts is essential in identifying risk and improving our ability to intervene early. Children and young people’s needs and experiences are unique and differ not only from adults but also from each other. By recognising how these needs vary in connection to such factors as age and stage, culture, gender, identity and community of origin, government, universal and specialist services can tailor programs to specifically meet children and young people’s needs and help them to recover and thrive.
Research topic 1.1: What works (from the perspective of children and/or young people) for children and/or young people when accessing crisis accommodation
Need:
Anecdotal evidence suggests that due to high demand and limited service offerings, children and young people do not necessarily receive timely access to crisis accommodation which assists in the reduction of trauma and aids recovery from the impacts of family violence. workforces in responding to children and young people directly, not via their parents. There is a need to identify client views of what works for children and/or young people when accessing crisis accommodation. There is a further need to understand resource allocations for children and/or young people who use these services and focus on how what service users value Should continue to policy and practice implementation.
Desired outcomes
Findings will:
- identify the universal elements of trauma-informed interventions associated with improved outcomes that can be used to develop evidence-based locally grown programs
- inform refinements to the design of crisis accommodation services for children and young people who have experienced family violence and/or sexual assault, at agency-level
- inform refinements to the design of crisis accommodation programs for children and young people who have experienced family violence and/or sexual assault, at departmental level
- support the development and embedding of outcomes measurement in community sector organisations that provide accommodation services
- support outcomes monitoring and measurement by identifying effective interventions and service delivery for children and young people
- assist government to allocate resources based on need and improved evidence of what works.
Scope
Duration: Up to 1.5 years
Budget: Up to $150,000
Methodology:
This research should include:
- a range of populations, geographical areas, or services
- a strong focus on an intersectional approach that considers effectiveness and appropriateness as they relate to diverse Victorian children and/or young people
- participatory qualitative research such as focus group discussion or interviews with those with lived experience
- a strong focus on the development of quantitative and qualitative tools, approaches, or guidance on what counts as effectiveness and for whom.
The direct voices of children should be amplified via participatory, action based and innovative, ethically sound qualitative research methods.
This research can be of the views of children and young people in identifiable groups, such as children and young people with disability or Aboriginal children and young people.
If the project focuses on Aboriginal children and/or young people, the project must be led by an ACCO or undertaken by a consortium with an ACCO as lead agency and be strongly underpinned by the principles of Aboriginal self-determination outlined in Research Agenda. Prospective applicants will need to engage with Dhelk Dja Koorie Caucus representatives to further shape this research project.
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