What is The Orange Door network and how does it work?
The Orange Door network is for children, young people and adults who are experiencing or using family violence, and for families who require support with the development and wellbeing needs of their children and young people.
It assesses and responds to a person’s needs and risk, and connects people to family violence services, local Aboriginal services, family services and services for adults using family violence. Together these are referred to as ‘core services’.[1]
The Orange Door seeks to engage with adults using family violence to support them in getting the assistance they need to address their violent behaviour. In addition they work with the wider system to keep the person’s use of violence in view and minimise the risk they pose to others.
The Orange Door keeps the whole family in view and provides a more visible contact point to access for people who are experiencing or using family violence, as well as families needing support with the wellbeing and development of children and young people, with support tailored to each family member’s needs.
The Orange Door network also connects people to a broad range of services such as mental health, disability services or housing support. Practitioners support people to navigate the service system and address the spectrum of needs that might be identified.
How The Orange Door network is set up to support people
The Orange Door functions include:
- initial contact and advice
- triage
- crisis response
- Family violence risk assessment
- Child wellbeing assessment
- safety planning
- service planning and referrals
- secondary consultation and capacity building.
The Orange Door brings together family violence, family services and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) as interdisciplinary teams to provide an integrated intake point in each area. The client’s risk and needs are centred in the Integrated practice response.
The Orange Door network facilitates strong connections into local community services to support clients to get the help they need from other services. This includes working in partnership with local ACCOs and communities to support Aboriginal self-determination and ensure that culturally safe responses are available for Aboriginal people.
The Orange Door network is comprised of a primary site, access points and outposts across an area to maximise the opportunities for people to get help they need close to home. Individuals and families who need support can make direct contact themselves via phone, email or by attending The Orange Door.
Access planning to increase the number of walk-in and appointment-based locations is underway across the state. The Orange Door network walk-in services are in Bacchus Marsh, Bairnsdale, Ballarat, Bendigo, Box Hill, Broadmeadows, Colac, Cranbourne, Croydon, Dandenong, Echuca, Epping, Frankston, Geelong, Hastings, Heidelberg, Horsham, Leongatha, Maryborough, Melton, Mildura, Morwell, Pakenham, Sale, Shepparton, Sunbury, Swan Hill, Wallan, Wangaratta, Warragul, Warrnambool, Werribee and Wodonga.
Led by the Aboriginal Initiatives Unit, the Aboriginal Access Point Service Model endorsed by the Dhelk Dja Koori Caucus in May 2021 is being implemented through three Aboriginal access points. Delivered by local ACCOs and staffed by an Aboriginal workforce, access point services support access to culturally safe information, planning, referral and exit pathways and holistic healing responses to family violence for Aboriginal families.
They are complemented by the service offerings of The Orange Door network and work closely with The Orange Door Aboriginal Practice Leaders to ensure appropriate referrals for clients to relevant services.
Who works at The Orange Door network?
The Orange Door workforce is comprised of interdisciplinary teams involving specialist staff from across community services, health services and ACCOs. In addition, the Community Based Child Protection team is part of The Orange Door workforce, in conjunction with a team of staff employed by FSV.
The workforce includes:
- Specialist Practitioners: The expertise of different practitioners is drawn upon to provide an interdisciplinary approach with specialists in family violence, child and family services, ACCOs and perpetrator services working together in The Orange Door network.
- Practice leadership: Practice leadership is provided to practitioners to support high quality and culturally safe service delivery through roles such as: Team Leader, Aboriginal Practice Leader, Advanced Family Violence Practice Leader, Integrated Practice Leader, Cultural Safety Project Leaders, Children and Young People’s Practice Leader, Advanced Family Violence (PUV) Practice Leader and Community Based Senior Child Protection Practitioners.
- Operational support: The Orange Door network teams are supported by a team from FSV that includes a Manager, Service System Navigator, Strategic Planning and Reporting Officer, Operational Support Officers, Client Support Officers and administrative support staff.
The total funded workforce for the eighteen The Orange Door areas operational at 30 June 2023 was just over 1,400 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions comprising a range of different roles (Figure 3). Of those, 218 FTE positions were vacant at that point in time.
Figure 3. Composition of The Orange Door network workforce in June 2023 (% total funded FTE)
The Orange Door staffing profile faces similar significant workforce shortages as the broader community services workforce. Addressing these shortfalls, the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Graduate Program attracted over 100 high-quality graduates between 2021 and 2023.
These programs complement the implementation of numerous capacity development initiatives for frontline workers across the service system, including the commencement of Aboriginal cultural safety training to all staff, and delivery of the Induction program, which includes strengthening of the skilled practice of staff in working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities.
FSV continues to work collaboratively with peak bodies and service partners to strengthen workforce capability in culturally responsive, skilled and integrated practice, for instance, with the Rainbow Health LGBTIQA+ program which is due to commence in Hume Merri-bek and Central Highlands in the coming year.
Working with Clients in The Orange Door integrated training is delivered to all practitioners by the Peaks Partnership (No to Violence, Safe and Equal and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare) and adopts a skills-based training approach.
Notes
[1] The Orange Door network provides a range of responses to individuals and families referred through for support, from the assessment of risk and need, development of safety plans, provision of an immediate crisis response, access to brokerage and connection to other services for ongoing support such as family violence case management and family services. The Orange Door network, What is the Orange Door webpage, State Government of Victoria, accessed 7 November 2022.
Updated