Phase 1 Research Program

Priority Research Topics – Research Grants Program Phase 1

In March 2022 the Family Violence Research Grants Program: Phase 1 opened for applications and in August 2022, the 13 successful projects under Phase 1 of the Research Program were confirmed. These projects address identified gaps in the evidence and help build an evidence base that supports best practice family violence and sexual assault interventions, service delivery and innovation. This will assist to achieve better outcomes for victim survivors and communities.

The successful projects will run for between one and two years. Four of the projects are led by sector organisations and nine by universities.

Funding for Phase 1 research grants totalled $2.5 million.

FSV developed an initial longlist of priority research topics (research topics) for Phase 1 Research Program. These were informed through a series of rigorous evidence reviews and consultation processes within FSV and were then refined through robust Victorian Government and Family Violence Reform Advisory Group (FVRAG) consultation. All research topics align with the Research Subject Areas included in the Research Agenda.

Twelve key areas of focus for Phase 1 of the Research Grants Program have been identified in collaboration with the sector.

Priority Research Subject Areas and Topics

Subject Area 1: Children and young people as victim-survivors in their own right

• Research Topic 1.1: Effectiveness of supports for children and pre-adolescents (10 to 13 years) accessing family violence services.
• Research Topic 1.2: Identifying effective therapeutic approaches to support recovery for children and young people as victim-survivors.

Subject Area 2: Family violence as experienced by Aboriginal people and communities

• Research Topic 2.1: Barriers faced by Aboriginal people and communities in accessing family violence (and/or sexual assault) services and what works to facilitate service access.
• Research Topic 2.2: What does success look like for Aboriginal victim-survivors and Aboriginal people who use family and sexual violence?

Subject Area 3: Family violence as experienced by people from diverse communities

• Research Topic 3.1: Protective factors for women involved in the criminal justice system, including on remand and exiting prison, who have experienced family violence.

Subject Area 4: Sexual violence and harm

• Research Topic 4.1: Effective therapeutic approaches to support recovery for adult victim-survivors of sexual violence and harm.
• Research Topic 4.2: Understanding how best to respond to family violence victim-survivors who have experienced sexual violence and harm.

Subject Area 5: Adolescent family violence

• Research Topic 5.1: Understanding interventions, supports and therapeutic approaches for young boys and men (under 25 years old) using IPV in early relationships

Subject Area 6: Perpetrators and people who use violence

• Research Topic 6.1: Effective strategies for engaging perpetrators in interventions and programs.

Subject Area 7: Systems lens research topics

• Research Topic 7.1: Effectiveness of workforce capability building in supporting literacy in family violence risk assessment and management (including information sharing) across the system.
• Research Topic 7.2: Understanding best practice crisis responses to family violence.
• Research Topic 7.3: Understanding best practice Safe at Home responses (such as, personal safety initiatives) for Victorian populations.