Executive summary

Introduction

The Royal Commission into Family Violence (the Royal Commission) found that existing interventions for perpetrators of family violence in Victoria were not sufficiently broad nor diverse. Apart from a small number of programs for some minority cohorts, there was limited diversity in interventions for perpetrators of family violence.

In response to Recommendation 87 of the Royal Commission, two trial programs were developed; perpetrator case management and seven community-based perpetrator intervention trials targeting specific cohorts (cohort trials).

This evaluation was led by Deloitte Access Economics, and undertaken with the Social Research Centre. The evaluation objectives were to determine whether the funded activities:

were implemented according to plan
achieved their stated objectives
met the needs of the target cohort and victim/survivors to a greater extent than existing programs
presented a more effective service response.

Justification and appropriateness

The Royal Commission identified that mainstream Men’s Behaviour Change Programs (MBCPs) are not easily accessible or are not relevant for a number of people who use violence. It also found that existing, group based MBCPs are, by their nature, not designed to work with participants individually, to provide a more intensive service where necessary.

The models employed by the cohort trials have been designed or adapted to address the specific needs of these different cohorts, often drawing on approaches used overseas as they address gaps in the mainstream service delivery models typically used in Australia.

Case management provides individualised and timely responses to perpetrators. It addresses and coordinates service delivery according to the complex needs of the perpetrator (e.g. alcohol and other drug (AOD) misuse, mental/physical health concerns, gambling or homelessness). Case management has now been funded on an ongoing basis.

In the request for submissions process for the cohort trials, no trials were funded specifically addressing mental health and AOD issues due to the lack of suitable submissions targeting these cohorts.

Lessons from practice

This evaluation has determined six key features that have been observed in the current practices of the providers delivering the new cohort trials and case management. These features align with evidence of specific approaches that better enable previously excluded or under-serviced groups to benefit from government funded perpetrator interventions, such as trauma-informed practices, integrated response models, and cultural healing:

Creating trusting relationships between participants and facilitators, and among group members to encourage engagement and participation.
Utilising both individual and group work in a complementary manner.
Addressing accountability with a trauma informed approach to address the underlying factors contributing to violent behaviour.
Facilitating a holistic, wrap-around approach to address contextual factors in a person’s life by connecting them to the broader service system.
Allowing flexibility in approach for people with different levels of need and at varying stages of change.
Providing support to people who experience violence via a family safety contact.

Approaches for specific cohorts

While there are overarching design features that contribute to good practice, there are also specific features of program design that are appropriate for particular cohorts.

For Aboriginal cohorts, cultural healing and connection to culture and country is necessary, so they are able to first address their own healing from past trauma and grief, in order to subsequently address their use of violence. Engagement with Elders, sufficient time to deliver and implement the programs, meaningful partnerships and Aboriginal self-determination in design and delivery are important.

There are some parallels for the LGBTI and women who use force cohorts in terms of enabling participants to heal from violence/trauma and the use of peer support.

The program for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) participants delivered the program in a culturally appropriate manner, including applying a cultural lens to mainstream materials, and having facilitators who belonged to the two cultural groups.

For people with cognitive impairment, the program is a more resource-intensive version of the MBCPs. This is because the small group size, slower pace, specialist workforce and closed group are important features contributing to participant engagement (but are also more resource intensive). Using prompts and visuals has also been beneficial.

Early client achievements

Some early client achievements as a result of participating in the cohort trials and case management have been identified. Due to the short amount of time that has passed since the commencement of the programs, these findings are not definitive, however they demonstrate positive signs at this point in time.

Providers of cohort trials and case management reported that participants have been demonstrating high levels of engagement compared with their experience facilitating mainstream programs.
Some participants reported increased understanding of what constitutes family violence, particularly non-physical forms of violence, and how their behaviour affected others.
There were mixed findings regarding participants taking responsibility for their behaviour, however this is to be expected given the short-term nature of the programs compared to the long-term process of behaviour change.
Participants acknowledged that they would need to continue to work on implementing strategies in order for them to become ‘learned behaviours’. Many reflected the need for continued support beyond the life of the program.
The programs are contributing to a greater level of risk management of people who use violence, particularly those with complex needs. By engaging people who use violence who were previously not accessing services, these programs are ‘keeping them in view’, which enables providers to better identify and manage risk.
People who experience violence reported that the support they received had helped them to feel less isolated, and a number indicated their feelings of safety had improved.

Implementation – workforce and process

The evaluation examined the activities and processes that were involved in establishing the cohort trials and case management, and made the following findings:

Attracting staff with the appropriate skills and experience in working with people who use violence was a particular challenge for some cohort trial and case management providers. The initial 12 month funding allocation reportedly affected the ability of providers to recruit and retain the workforce.
Referral pathways into programs from the community and justice settings needs to better understood and defined, as people who use violence traverse both systems.
There are some challenges to effective service coordination across the sector, including a lack of capacity or willingness to work with people who use violence.
Performance management of the programs needs to be strengthened, to ensure there is accountability and consistency for reporting on program outcomes.

Conclusion and future considerations

Overall, it has been established that the perpetrator cohort intervention trials and case management are addressing a service delivery gap for people using violence, and have contributed to delivering on Recommendation 87 of the Royal Commission. This evaluation report identifies several areas for ongoing improvement or enhancement, particularly as the programs transition from pilots to ongoing funding (case management) or providing services for an additional year (cohort trials). There are eight overarching improvement opportunities, and three that relate to cohort interventions.

building the focus on the role of the family safety contact
strengthening the referral pathway by raising awareness of the programs within the service system
contributing to building workforce capability
improving accountability, governance and reporting of the programs through FSV
providing improved exit planning for case management participants
providing clarity around funding
adopting a systems approach by creating alignment with the justice perpetrator programs
long-term research and evaluation
tailoring implementation and reporting targets for Aboriginal cohorts (cohort specific)
building capability within the mental health and AOD workforces to encourage the design of suitable programs for these cohorts (cohort specific)
consider opportunities to scale the programs (cohort specific).

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Updated 9 May 2022