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16 suggested actions for the Victorian Government to consider

The report provides 16 suggested actions for government to consider as it moves into the next stage of the family violence reforms.

Below are all the actions we suggested to the Victorian Government in our report that we think would help make the system better for victim survivors. The actions have been grouped together under related areas.

Taking a more victim-centred approach

  1. Be clear about whose job it is to help victim survivors work out what help they need.
  2. Find ways for workers from police, courts, The Orange Door and family violence services to work better together
  3. Act to make sure that children and young people are seen as victims in their own right and have a say in family violence–related court hearings.
  4. Keep asking the Australian Government to fix the problems that we know affect victim survivors in the following areas: immigration law, Medicare, Centrelink and the family law system.

Make sure victim survivors can access the supports they need

  1. Make sure that victim survivors can get help with financial support and the law.
  2. Make peer support workers available for victim survivors to help in their recovery.
  3. Make it clear about how the mental health system works with the family violence system to help support victim survivor recovery.
  4. Look at getting male victim survivors their own family violence help.

More support for the workers that help victim survivors

  1. Make sure that workers in family violence and sexual assault services have better pay and more secure work.
  2. Help services understand how to employ people, such as victim survivors, who might not have a university degree, but have the expertise.
  3. Look at how the mental health system has been able to give people with lived victim survivor experience the chance to work in the system to help other victim survivors.

Funding to help services support victim survivors' needs

  1. When giving funding to services, make sure they are focused on providing victim survivors with a good experience every time.
  2. Ask for more things that victim survivors need, like housing, help with paying rent and mortgages, help from lawyers about legal problems, financial support and other supports.

More data and monitoring to understand the issue

  1. Get better information about how many people are wanting help, and how long it is taking them to get that help.
  2. Look at how people move through the system to see what problems there are and fix them to make it easier to get help, including for children and young people.
  3. Keep looking at and understanding service data to fix problems and delays with The Orange Door.

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