This seminar was held on 19 August 2015 at Tāmaki Innovation Campus, University of Auckland.

Download the slides:

Sheryl Hann (PDF, 2.1 MB)

Shirleyanne Brown (PDF, 2.4 MB)

Community mobilisation is an approach to preventing violence which enables and builds local community ownership. Principles of community mobilisation include social change, whole community engagement, collaboration, community leadership and a vision for a better world. Community mobilisation is an emerging approach to addressing family violence, however there are international examples that show a reduction in violence in relatively short periods of time. Come along to learn more about the world-leading example SASA! and promising Aotearoa New Zealand initiatives.

This seminar highlighted the key messages from NZFVC Issues Paper 8, Creating change: Mobilising New Zealand communities to prevent family violence by Sheryl Hann and Cristy Trewartha (May 2015).

Additional material

E Tū Whānau website

It's Not OK Campaign website

including It's not OK Campaign Community Evaluation Project (2105)

Social change toolkit

SASA! (Raising Voices) website

SASA! (Raising Voices) on YouTube

Prevention of violence against women and girls: Lessons from practice
by Lori Michau, Jessica Horn, Amy Bank, Mallika Dutt and Cathy Zimmerman
The Lancet, 2015

Community mobilization: Preventing partner violence by changing social norms
by Lori Michau
UN Women in cooperation with ESCAP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO, 2012

Presenters

Lori Michau (by video), Co-founder and Co-director of Raising Voices, a non-profit organisation working toward the prevention of violence against women and children in Uganda. Raising Voices developed SASA!, a community mobilisation initiative that works to prevent violence against women and HIV by addressing gender inequality. SASA! is one of the few community mobilisation initiatives worldwide that has done comprehensive research and evaluation. This found that the initiative lead to decreased rates of intimate partner violence, and a wide range of positive changes in people's relationships and the community. Lori will talk about what SASA! has achieved and how they measure change. SASA! is an acronym for the four phases of action (Start, Awareness, Support and Action) and also means "now" in Kiswahili.

Involved in all aspects of work at Raising Voices, Lori spends her days supporting staff and strategy development, developing ideas and programmes, learning from experiences on the ground, and discovering new ways to promote violence prevention. Lori received her Masters in Human Rights at Makerere University, Uganda and has lived in the region since 1995. Before co-founding Raising Voices, she worked at Kuleana Center for Children's Rights and Jijenge! Women's Center for Sexual Health. Lori is the author of several groundbreaking violence prevention methodologies, various articles (including for the United Nations and The Lancet) and serves on many advisory boards.

Sheryl Hann, Family Violence: It's not OK Campaign

Shirleyanne Brown, E Tū Whānau

Sheryl Hann and Shirleyanne Brown discussed community mobilisation to prevent family and whānau violence in Auckland.

This event was held on 18 March 2015 at Epsom Campus, University of Auckland.

When couples separate, the risk of intimate partner violence, abuse, harassment and homicide often continues or increases. Safety and human rights concerns in custody-visitation proceedings are gaining increased attention because professionals often do not detect abuse, do not take it seriously, or apply non-legal factors in their determinations. This presentation highlights new US research findings on child custody evaluations in cases involving domestic violence, focusing on the beliefs and recommendations of the professionals involved in these determinations. Implications of the research for policy and practice are described.

Presentation

Contact Vine for presentation material.

Additional material

Saunders, D. G., Faller, K. C., & Tolman, R. M. (2011).
Child custody evaluators’ beliefs about domestic abuse allegations: Their relationship to evaluator demographics, background, domestic violence knowledge and custody-visitation recommendations. Final Technical Report Submitted to the National Institute of Justice. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, School of Social Work.

Saunders, D. G., Tolman, R. M., & Faller, K. C. (2013).
Factors associated with child custody evaluators’ recommendations in cases of intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Psychology, 27(3), 473-483.

Presenter

Daniel Saunders, PhD is Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, USA. He established one of the first intervention programs for men who batter and helped to establish crisis and advocacy programs for battered women in the 1970s. His research, teaching, and service centre on the problems of dating and domestic violence. His specific studies focus on offender program evaluation, the traumatic effects of victimisation, and the response of professionals and the public to dating and domestic violence. He has testified as an expert witness in cases of domestic homicide and custody cases involving domestic abuse. Professor Saunders' most recent projects involve an evaluation of supervised visitation programs for the children of battered women and a survey of child custody evaluators regarding their beliefs and recommendations about child custody/access in domestic abuse cases. From February to May 2015, Professor Saunders is a Fulbright scholar based at Te Awatea Violence Research Centre, University of Canterbury, Christchurch.

Overview and highlights report

We launched a report, New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse: Overview and Highlights (October 2015). In the past four years, the Clearinghouse has responded to almost 1000 requests for information and initiated over 600 community engagement activities. There have been more than 42,000 users of the website in the last twelve months. Read the report to learn more about the work of the Clearinghouse. We also encourage you to share it with colleagues who may find the Clearinghouse a useful resource.

At the event, speakers discussed the role of the Clearinghouse in New Zealand's efforts to prevent family and whānau violence, achievements of the Clearinghouse and future plans and directions. The day also included the launch of a University of Auckland pathway in violence studies, commencing in 2016 with a Postgraduate Certificate (for more information see the presentation below.) You can watch the video recorded presentations from the day below.

‍

Presentations

Opening address - Professor Ngaire Kerse, Head of School, Population Health, University of Auckland

Watch the video

The establishment and history of NZFVC - Sheryl Hann, former Outreach Coordinator, NZFVC

Watch the video    View the slides

Role and achievements of NZFVC - Associate Professor Janet Fanslow, Co-Director, NZFVC

Watch the video     View the slides

Message from the funder - Radha Balakrishnan, Principal Advisor, Client Services and Sector Change, Superu

Watch the video

Introducing postgraduate studies with a pathway in violence - Associate Professor Christa Fouche, Head of School, Counselling, Human Services and Social Work, University of Auckland

Watch the video     View the slides

Translational research and social policy - Dr Andy Shenk, CEO, UniServices

Watch the video

Messages from NZFVC users

Watch video one

Watch video two

Background information on NZFVC

The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse is your national centre for family and whānau violence research and information. The role of the Clearinghouse is to provide access to high quality information about family violence to people who work in the field. This includes ways to most effectively respond to people affected by violence, and how to prevent violence.

Clearinghouse Co-Director Associate Professor Janet Fanslow says, "We are encouraged by a growth in use of the Clearinghouse services over the last four years. It is a strong indicator that the sector is developing an appetite and an aptitude for using evidence to inform policy and practice. The sustained growth and positive feedback from our stakeholders demonstrates that the information we provide is regarded as trustworthy and relevant."

The Clearinghouse was launched in 2005 in association with Te Rito: New Zealand Family Violence Prevention Strategy. Te Rito was developed in 2002 as a plan of action to reduce and eliminate family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. The Clearinghouse has been hosted by the University of Auckland since 2011. UniServices is contracted to provide the service by the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (Superu).

The Clearinghouse thanks Superu, the University of Auckland and UniServices for their support. We acknowledge all the people who have been involved in the Clearinghouse's work over the last 10 years. In particular, we acknowledge our users and the incredibly important work they do. We look forward to the activities and events of the next ten years.

In 2015, the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse (NZFVC) celebrated 10 years as the national centre for family and whānau violence research and information. The tenth birthday of the Clearinghouse was celebrated with an event at the University of Auckland's Tāmaki campus in October 2015.

This seminar was held on 11 April 2014 at Te Wharewaka, Wellington and on 16 April 2014 at Tāmaki Innovation Campus, University of Auckland.

The procedures, assessment, and ethical practice for child custody disputes when there are allegations of child maltreatment, intimate partner violence and/or exposure to domestic violence are discussed. Distinguishing between abuse, high conflict, alienation, estrangement, and rejection are presented. These are very difficult and complex cases from mental health/social work, criminal justice, and legal perspectives. Appropriate investigative techniques and common errors that often are made in these cases are presented. The myth of 'parental alienation syndrome' that is often alleged in these cases is discussed, along with ways to avoid common pitfalls. Recommendations for custody and visitation when abuse or high conflict has occurred are provided. Case examples are shown.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Be able differentiate between abuse, high conflict, alienation, estrangement, and rejection
• Be able to identify two common mistakes made by custody evaluators in the context of intimate partner violence and child abuse
• Better understand the dynamics of domestic violence and child abuse as they occur in child custody cases
• Be able to list three procedures that should be followed in investigating child abuse or intimate partner violence in child custody cases

Additional material

Download Adverse Childhood Experiences - handouts from presentation for VIP Health Coordinators (PDF, 1.27 MB)

Organisations of interest

Family Violence & Sexual Abuse Institute, San Diego, CA

Institute on Violence Abuse and Trauma, San Diego, CA

National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan, USA

Presenter

Robert Geffner, PhD is: Founding President of the Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute in San Diego, CA; Founding President of Alliant International University’s (AIU) Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT); Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at AIU; Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in California and Texas; Editor of five internationally disseminated journals; and former clinical director of a large private practice mental health clinic for over 15 years.  He has a Diplomate in Clinical Neuropsychology and is Board Certified in Couple & Family Psychology. Dr. Geffner is Co-Chair of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan and President of the American Academy of Couple & Family Psychology.  He has been a researcher, trainer, practitioner, and consultant for more than 30 years.  He has served on national and state committees dealing with family violence, child abuse, forensic psychology, trauma, and family law. He has presented over 450 keynote addresses, plenaries, and workshops at international, national, and regional conferences.

This seminar was held on 5 December 2013 at Tāmaki Innovation Campus, University of Auckland.

The seminar is about how we can involve men in preventing domestic and sexual violence. This involves making a welcoming approach to men, harnessing their motivation and providing them with real opportunities to make a difference.

Involving men is an international development in violence prevention that can make a real difference in New Zealand. Men can provide the positive influence other men need. By concentrating on men’s social norms there is a real opportunity to undermine the social environment that supports violence. And by transforming the links between masculinity and violence there can be real pressure to stop violence. This presentation will give you an understanding of the benefits of involving men, the theoretical basis of this work, motivation that can be used, what engages men, the challenges to be managed and future developments you could use effectively.

This presentation is based on NZFVC Issues Paper 5, Effectively involving men in preventing violence against women. The paper was published on White Ribbon Day in 2013.

Presenter

Garth Baker, BA (Social Anthropology), PGDipBusAdmin (Dispute Resolution). Violence prevention researcher and programme designer.

Garth is a violence prevention researcher and programme designer. He established RAP, the youth violence prevention project, and has been involved in numerous violence prevention research projects. He’s designed several new programmes for men to learn how to live without violence, including a programme for Tongan men. He has advised on gender education resources for young men, trained men in Papua New Guinea and is currently designing an approach to address restrictive gender attitudes.

Session 1

Keynote: Jeffrey Edleson

‘Emerging Research, Policy and Practice with Children Exposed to Domestic Violence’

Jeffrey L. Edleson, PhD, is one of the world's leading authorities on children exposed to domestic violence. He is Dean and Professor in the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Welfare. He is Professor Emeritus in the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work and founding director of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse. He has published more than 120 articles and 12 books on domestic violence, group work, and programme evaluation. Dr. Edleson served on the US National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

Professor Edleson reviewed some of the research on children’s exposure to adult domestic violence, their involvement in these events and the level of known co-occurring child maltreatment and domestic violence in families. He reviewed recent trends in legislation and programmes responding to these children and their families in the US. He drew on his work with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ guidelines published in Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy & Practice (commonly called the Greenbook) and the federally funded “Greenbook Initiative”.

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 2406 KB)

Note this is an extended version of the presentation given on the day.

Jeffrey Edleson also presented at a seminar ‘Parenting in the context of domestic violence’ in Auckland on 4 June 2013.

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 924 KB)

Note this is an extended version of the presentation given on the day.

Jeffrey Edleson spoke on 'How domestic violence affects parenting and children' for Radio New Zealand's ‘Nine to Noon’ programme on 6 June 2013. Listen to the interview here.

Respondents

Paul Nixon

Paul Nixon is Chief Social Worker for Child, Youth and Family, in the Ministry of Social Development. Paul is originally from the UK and has worked for more than 20 years in Child Welfare and protection, always in a statutory setting. Paul and his family, Nici, Carys, Haydn and Rhianna and Murphy their dog live in Wellington. Paul has always been interested and inspired by practice and innovations from New Zealand, particularly Family Group Conferences, Restorative Justice, and Whanau / Kinship Care. Previously Paul was Head of Social Work services in North Yorkshire, England. Paul has written a number of books on Social Work and numerous articles and chapters. He has provided training and consultancy on Social Work around the world.

No Powerpoint presentation

Ngaropi Cameron

Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairoa
NZRN, Registered Whānau/Hapū/Iwi Practitioner – Te Awhi Pa, Member NZAC

Ngaropi has worked in the social service area in a variety of environs for over 25 years. Throughout this time she has been involved in numerous local and national community development projects implementing a variety of kaupapa Māori services, trainings and resources. She is the foundation member, Chief Executive and Senior Domestic Violence Programme Facilitator and Educator of Tu Tama Wahine O Taranaki, and Taranaki executive member rep on Te Kahui Rongoa Trust. She is a former member of the Ministry of Justice Domestic Violence Programme Approvals Panel 2002 – 2005 and co-opted member 2008 – 2011, former executive board member and deputy chair of Jigsaw and a former member of the Māori Reference Group to the National Taskforce on Family Violence.

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 193 KB)

Download notes (Word  167 KB)

Session 2

Keynote: Di Grennell

Ngāi Tahu, Ngai Mutunga o Wharekurī

‘Aroha in Action – Whānau Transformation’

Di is the Director, Operations in the Whānau & Social Policy Wāhanga at Te Puni Kōkiri National Office. Formerly a member of the Taskforce on Whānau – Centred Initiatives, Di is working with her team to support Whānau Ora Implementation. Di has a particular interest in strategies for social change. In addition to her work with the Amokura Family Violence Prevention Consortium in Tai Tokerau, Di’s background includes provider development, education, community research and working with tai tamariki. Di is a mother, step-mother, and ‘Nana Di’ to six mokopuna. She and her husband Witi Ashby live in Wellington.

‘Mokopuna hold the wisdom of the world and they can teach us the power of unconditional love. They remind us how each one of us began and they are our connection to our tūpuna and to our future. The centre of their world is their whānau and they learn from us. When we love them they learn to love, when we respond to their needs they learn to respond to others, when we are peaceful then peace flow through them. Everything they learn they learn from us.’ (Aroha in Action – a resource for Whānau, Di Grennell)

Whānau Ora asserts the importance of a whānau-centred approach to service delivery, but the real promise of a Whānau Ora approach is in viewing whānau as change agents, and whānau transformation as possible. How do we build cohesive, resilient and nurturing whānau?

Di shared some learnings, challenges, and opportunities that present when addressing issues of violence and abuse through whole of whānau approaches.

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 908 KB)

Respondents

To'alepai Jacqueline Louise Ella (Louella) Thomsen-Inder

To’alepai has a background of 15 years in health and 10 years in social work. She is a Registered Social Worker and has a professional focus on alternative non violent parenting and children witnessing family violence with Pacific families. She delivers frontline family violence services holistically to Pacific families and provides training and cultural input as a consultant in clinical and cultural interventions. She works at Pacific Island Evaluation and is the only accredited female and Pacific Trauma Counsellor in Christchurch. To’alepai has been on the Domestic Violence Approval Panel for 6 years and provides expertise on Children’s Programs. She is also a member of Canterbury Response to Sexual Violence and the Steering Group for Canterbury District Health Board Family Violence-Partner Abuse. To’alepai was born in Samoa and educated in Samoa and New Zealand. She is a matai (high chief) from Salavalu, Savaii.

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 331 KB)

Mike Cagney

Mike has worked for 30 years in domestic violence programmes, sex offender treatment programmes and statutory child protection work, in the roles of social worker, therapist and service manager. He has an academic background in social work and counselling and regularly provides training in therapy and family work with people who harm others. Mike is an Approved Provider of DV Programmes, an Approved Family Court Counsellor and currently works in private practice in Porirua and the Kapiti Coast.

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 144 KB)

Session 3

Keynote: Sudha Shetty

‘Lost in translation’

Sudha Shetty is a lawyer by training. She has spoken and written extensively on domestic violence issues facing immigrant women and women of colour. She developed a variety of legal access projects focused on battered women in her role as Director of the Seattle University Law School's Access to Justice Institute. She was also a founding member and chair of Chaya, a grass-roots South Asian domestic violence prevention program in Seattle. She is currently Assistant Dean for International Partnerships and Alliances at the Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley.

Sudha Shetty spoke about immigrant women and child custody issues for mothers who have experienced intimate partner violence.

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 338 KB)

Sudha Shetty also spoke at a lunchtime event jointly hosted by the Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs on Thursday 6 June.

Respondents

Catriona Doyle

Catriona Doyle is the director of Family Law Specialists based in Porirua. She has 20 years’ experience as a lawyer specialising in providing advice and advocacy on a full range of family law matters including protection, child care, adoption, surrogacy and property. She is regularly appointed by the Family Court to represent children and is appointed in Hague Convention cases.

Catriona is the Deputy Chair of the Family Law Section of the New Zealand Law Society. Last year she presented papers at the Women’s Refuge Conference and Lexis Nexis Property Masterclass about the proposed changes to the Family Court and the likely impact of those proposed changes on Family Court users, particularly women and children. Catriona has been appointed a member of the recently formed Legal Services Advisory Board, set up by the Minister of Justice to provide high level and strategic advice on the legal aid system.

No Powerpoint presentation

Shasha Ali

Shasha Ali is International Development Coordinator and Advisor for Youth Services at Shakti Community Council Inc. With a background in Women’s Studies and Sociology, Shasha has a huge passion for vulnerable youth and child abuse issues from within immigrant and refugee backgrounds as an advocate on forced, servile and child marriage and honour-based violence affecting young women and girls from Asian, African and Middle Eastern cultural origins. Shasha was an integral part of a team that established Shakti Youth services focused on family violence prevention and advocacy on violence against children and youth. Shasha represented New Zealand NGO delegation at the 52nd UN CEDAW Session and represented Shakti New Zealand upon invitation to speak at the Australian Government Roundtable on People Trafficking, Slavery and Slave-Like Conditions.

No Powerpoint presentation

Sudha Shetty and Jeffrey Edleson

‘Seeking Safety Across Borders: Battered Women’s Experiences with the Hague Convention in American Courts’

Download Powerpoint presentation (PDF, 744 KB)

MC

Marama Davidson

Marama Davidson (Te Rarawa/Ngāpuhi/Ngāti Porou) is a social justice and human rights advocate based in Auckland. Her background includes ten years working for the Human Rights Commission ‘out in the paddock’ as an Advisor. Marama’s focus while at the Commission included working with children and young people who were often at risk of having their human rights abused. Marama left the Commission in December 2012 to concentrate on her work as part of Te Wharepora Hou – a Māori women’s collective that she helped establish in 2010. Te Wharepora Hou strives to have a voice on all issues impacting on the wellbeing of whānau, hapū and iwi. In February 2013 Marama was appointed to the Think Tank for the Glenn Inquiry on child abuse and domestic violence. Marama is currently privileged to be on the interview hearings to gather the stories from people who are dealing with domestic violence in their lives or as front-line workers.

This conference was co-hosted by the Families Commission and the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, on Wednesday 5 June 2013 at Te Papa, Wellington. The presentations can be downloaded below.

Opening comments from Belinda Milnes, Chief Commissioner, Families Commission and Janet Fanslow, Co-Director, New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse.

This seminar was held on 4 June 2013 at Tāmaki Innovation Campus, University of Auckland.

Jeffrey Edleson spoke on the issue of parenting and domestic violence. He drew on his work for the Judicial Council of California, evaluating a supervised visitation center and his book entitled Parenting by Men Who Batter: New Directions in Assessment and Intervention (co-edited with Oliver J. Williams, Oxford University Press, 2007). He reviewed some of the research on parents involved in domestic violence and raise a variety of issues regarding safe visitation, exchange and how domestic violence services can be structured to help parents in these situations. This includes:

• Why is parenting an important issue?
• Parenting by mothers who experience domestic violence and intervention with them
• Parenting by men who perpetrate domestic violence
• What are the questions we need to answer?

Additional material

Jeffrey Edleson was a keynote speaker at the Children, child maltreatment and intimate partner violence: Research, policy and practice conference held in Wellington in June 2013. Further presentations are available on that page.

More information

See the seminars page for information about other seminars and events.

Presenter

Jeffrey L. Edleson, PhD is one of the world's leading authorities on children exposed to domestic violence. He is Dean and Professor in the University of California, Berkeley School of Social Welfare. He is Professor Emeritus in the University of Minnesota’s School of Social Work and founding director of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse. He has published more than 120 articles and 12 books on domestic violence, group work, and programme evaluation. Dr. Edleson served on the US National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

‍Keynote presentations:

‘Whole-of-government’ approach to family violence reforms (Dr Marion Frere)

‍Download PDF (50.3 KB)

This presentation outlined the ways in which a ‘whole-of-government’ response to family violence was achieved in Victoria, Australia. It examined the factors that contributed to the whole-of-government reform and the challenges that needed to be overcome along the way. It raised questions about the role of leadership, the role of partnerships and networks across departments and sectors, and about the importance of data and information sharing. Current initiatives in family violence were discussed, as well as opportunities for shared learning between Australia and New Zealand.

Societal violence in everyday life (Professor Darrin Hodgetts)

Read an article from this research project here.

Violence is clearly relational. An extensive body of research has explored violence within intimate familial relations. Violence also stems from social relations and is a product of inequities in society. This presentation considers the impact of social stratification and associated inequalities as a form of societal violence that affects increasing number of New Zealanders. The core focus of this presentation is on how we need to explore urban poverty as a form of societal violence and develop structural, as well as ameliorative, responses to this pressing public health concern. Lower socio-economic status is a risk factor which has been associated with family violence and we hope the family violence sector can take useful insights from this body of work.

Workshops:

Relational nature of Māori men's health
(Associate Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora, Dr Neville Robertson, Mohi Rua and Professor Darrin Hodgetts)
Download PPT (3283 KB)

Research into the health of Māori men often focuses on illness and negative societal trends. It remains sporadic and marginal in the public domain. Research on positive aspects of Māori men’s lives and wellness is virtually non-existent. Building on earlier studies about domestic violence, bloke culture, homelessness and social and cultural wellbeing, the Māori and Psychology Research Unit at the University of Waikato is developing an integrated programme of research investigating the relational nature of Māori men’s health within the broader context of their social relationships as manifest in traditional and contemporary settings. Our intent is to extend our understanding of the nature of wellness-promoting practices that forge and support positive relationships for Māori men, their families and communities.

Tools for building and sustaining effective collaborations (Dr Clare Murphy)
Download PDF (248 KB)

This workshop points the way to helpful tools and checklists for achieving specific aspects considered critical to the effective functioning of collaborative family violence initiatives. The range of guidelines covered include: information sharing protocols; building bridges between child protection and women victim services; taking a common approach to risk assessment; resources for working with different population groups including Māori, people with disabilities, older women, LGBT communities, refugee and migrant communities; conflict resolution amongst collaborative partners; resources to aid prevention initiatives; guidelines to gender analysis; governance models; safety and accountability processes; and tips for evaluating your family violence network.

New Police family violence process changes (Inspector Brigitte Nimmo)
Download PPT (2025 KB)

From 1 July 2012, Police will be introducing a new situational response to family violence. The workshop will discuss the rationale behind the changes and outline the new response. Participants will also be introduced to the new actuarial risk assessment tool that will be part of the changes and have the opportunity to practice applying it to case scenarios.

Professionals responding to disclosures of sexual violence
(Dr Kim McGregor and Louise Nicholas)
To come

In Aotearoa/New Zealand it is estimated that between 1 in 4 women and 1 in 8 men will experience a sexual violence incident in their lifetime, many before the age of 16. Sexual violence can be a difficult topic to understand and process both personally and professionally. More specifically, it is essential professionals receive training that will provide the knowledge and skills to effectively and safely deal with disclosures of sexual violence. This presentation will review the dynamics of sexual violence adults and children experience within a family violence context and how family violence professionals can confidently inquire and respond to a sexual violence disclosure.

Key factors in successful community collaboration
(Tim Marshall, Ora Te Hau and Gerry Brooking)
Download PPT (863 KB)

This joint presentation will explore the key factors of successful community collaboration to reduce family violence in the Tairawhiti and Wairarapa areas. Specific focus will outline the importance of Network governance structures, strategic objectives and the role of the Coordinator; and show how these elements are critical to effective prevention and intervention initiatives.

Understanding family violence data (Dr Pauline Gulliver)
Download PPT (2405 KB)

Is family violence going up or down? Does anyone know? Trends in family violence data are a hot topic for the media and one that often makes headlines. However, there are a number of different sources of family violence data in New Zealand that can provide conflicting information. The aim of this workshop will be to provide participants with an overview of the sources of family violence data, to highlight factors that influence family violence data, and to provide guidance on interpretation of reported ‘trends’.

“It’s not OK” in local communities (“It’s not OK” campaign team)

The “It’s not OK” campaign is a national initiative to change behaviours; mobilise communities to take action; and address the social attitudes that support and tolerate family violence. The latest phase focuses on encouraging friends, whānau, and neighbours to offer help. Formative research indicated that people are motivated to help, but are often offering help in ineffective ways. The workshop will present the research findings and discuss ways that people can use social marketing and community development approaches to encourage safe and effective help-giving and help-seeking in their local communities.

Further reading on Victorian ‘whole-of-government’ family violence reforms:

VicHealth. (2007). Preventing violence before it occurs: A framework and background paper to guide the primary prevention of violence against women in Victoria

Victorian Family Violence Database Volume 5: Eleven-year Trend Analysis: 1999-2010

Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic)
Download PDF (1265 KB)

Risk assessment:

Family Violence Coordination Unit. (2007). Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Supporting an integrated family violence service system

Family Violence Reform Coordination Unit. (2010). The Victorian Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Summary of the Evaluation Report of the Statewide Training Program

Common Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) training materials (including a manual, series of training handbooks, a DVD and supporting and reference documents)

28 May 2012, Wellington

Co-hosted by the Families Commission and the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse

The Families Commission and the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse held a one day family violence symposium for practitioners, policymakers and researchers on 28 May 2012.

The focus was on strengthening systems to support family violence prevention and intervention. Over 150 people from across the sector attended the symposium.

Presentations from the symposium can be downloaded below. The final ones will be added as they become available.