Establish a secure Central Information Point

Implemented

Who is leading the change

Family Safety Victoria

The Victorian Government establish a secure Central Information Point. Led by Victoria Police, it should consist of a co-located multi-disciplinary team with representatives from Victoria Police, the courts (registry staff), the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice and Regulation (Corrections Victoria) who are authorised to obtain information from their respective databases. A summary of this information should be available to the Risk Assessment and Management Panels, the recommended Support and Safety Hubs, the 24-hour crisis telephone service Safe Steps and the Men’s Referral Service to permit effective assessment and management of risk in individual cases.

Family Safety Victoria (FSV) has established the Central Information Point (CIP) in partnership with Victoria Police, the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, Corrections Victoria and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

Staff from FSV and these agencies work together to provide information about a perpetrator or alleged perpetrator of family violence into a consolidated report for family violence risk assessment and management.

The CIP supports victim survivors through a focus on a perpetrator’s history and pattern of behaviour, giving services a better understanding of perpetrator risk and prompting greater perpetrator accountability.
The CIP is now available across The Orange Door network statewide, Safe Steps, the Men’s Referral Service and all Risk Assessment and Management Panels (RAMPs) across Victoria.

Family Safety Victoria and the CIP partner agencies (Victoria Police, Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, Corrections Victoria and Child Protection) are continuing to work together to refine and improve the CIP operating model. Family Safety Victoria and the CIP partner agencies have all completed system integration work for the automation of data sharing to support operational efficiencies and better information sharing.

Practitioners who have access to the CIP consistently emphasise the value in being able to access consolidated information in a timely manner and having a more comprehensive view of family violence risk. Information sharing from the CIP has allowed action to be taken sooner to reduce risk and increase safety. The CIP has also enabled preventative work to occur and has empowered decision making and increased self-determination for victim survivors.

Since the CIP commenced (April 2018), the CIP has produced more than 17,700 reports (as of 8 January 2023) and continues to receive ongoing positive feedback from The Orange Door and RAMPs users.

Updated 28 January 2023