The 7 focus areas, the key workforce priorities and associated initiatives and the implementation pathway are grounded in evidence. They are informed by the commitments in Building from Strength, the 2017 Census, and the knowledge and experience of those who work in or access the family violence system. Strengthening the Foundations and future Rolling Action Plans will continue to be informed by evidence of what works, workforce development and the changing environment of the family violence response, prevention and broader systems.
Led by FSV’s Centre for Workforce Excellence, Strengthening the Foundations will develop a research strategy to build a robust evidence base to support workforce development, service reform and strong and skilled specialist workforces that are able to meet future demands.
Partnerships with universities, research bodies and sectors will be formed to consolidate and build on existing research. Knowledge gaps will be identified and research projects to support and inform the implementation of initiatives will be prioritised. Where necessary, new research will be commissioned to focus on both current and emerging workforce and industry needs.
The 2019 Census of Workforces that Intersect with Family Violence will be a key part of this work.
The first Rolling Implementation Plan (2019-20) of the 10-Year Community Services Industry Plan includes actions to embed evidence-informed approaches. The Centre for Workforce Excellence will work with the Human Services and Health Partnership Implementation Committee which oversees the implementation of the 10-Year Community Services Industry Plan, to ensure Strengthening the Foundations aligns with and complements these community services-wide initiatives.
The research strategy in Strengthening the Foundations will ensure that complementary research and evidence undertaken by Respect Victoria, Our Watch, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) and through the monitoring and evaluation of the Orange Door, MARAM and other programs is utilised and not duplicated.
Our progress and success will be monitored by the Implementation Sub-group of the Industry Taskforce. Tracking and reporting will allow us to continue to review and update our planned initiatives and implementation plan, and adjust accordingly. This information will then inform future Rolling Action Plans.
In addition, an immediate priority will be to work with the Implementation Sub-group to develop an evaluation framework for this Rolling Action Plan.
The 2 Rolling Action Plans that follow this plan will be agile and adaptive, building on what works, incorporating emerging evidence and responding to the changing family violence response, prevention and broader system reforms. They too will be regularly reviewed and adjusted based on how sectors and the system respond to the challenges and opportunities we face.
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