A New Approach to Addressing Violence Against Women in NSW

An Improved Approach to Addressing Violence Against Women in NSW

In 2007 a review of the former Violence Against Women Strategy was undertaken to determine how best to align the NSW Government’s domestic and family violence strategy to key priorities in the NSW State Plan – reducing crime, particularly violent crime and embedding prevention and early intervention into Government service delivery. 

The recommendations of the review form the basis of the Government’s new domestic and family violence approach and structure.  The new approach is essentially about delivering a consistent, coordinated approach to domestic and family violence while continuing to allow flexibility for the development of local solutions.  It is designed to ensure that all Government services are working together to drive down domestic and family violence, make responses more effective, reduce trauma for women, and ultimately reduce the incidence of violence.

The new structure includes the establishment of senior positions who have the capacity and authority to help drive systemic changes across agencies and better coordinate Government action at both the regional and the state-wide level.  The seniority of the positions will also help to elevate the status of domestic and family violence specialist officers across the NSW bureaucracy.

The Violence Prevention Coordination Unit

A centralised Violence Prevention Coordination Unit (VPCU), located in the Office for Women’s Policy, Department of Premier and Cabinet has been established. This Unit is responsible for co-ordinating the whole of government response to domestic and family violence.  It is currently developing a Strategic Framework to underpin state-wide responses to domestic and family violence. It is also developing strong linkages with other Government agencies and key non-government organisations. The Unit provides strategic advice to the Premier and the Minister for Women.

The VPCU is finalising membership of the new expert Premier’s Council on Preventing Violence Against Women. The Council, which will include significant community representation, will be chaired by the Minister for Women and report to the Premier on issues that relate to the development of policies, programs and services that impact on women and violence issues.  The Council will concentrate on, in the first instance, domestic and family violence issues and will advise on the development of the Strategic Framework.

The VPCU is also administering $2.9 million in new annual funding to support domestic and family violence partnership projects with NGOs with $900,000 for projects that assist Aboriginal women. 

Details of projects funded for 2007/08 are on this website link

The grants program includes up to $1000 for Local Domestic and Family Violence Committees for activities during the 16 Days of Activism to Stop Violence Against Women.  Further details for this program can be found here.

State Wide Projects

The VPCU will work with new state-wide project coordinators who have been appointed to oversee five key domestic and family violence projects and deliver state-wide changes in key service systems.  Coordinators have been employed for the following projects:

• Domestic Violence Intervention Court Model, positioned in the Attorney General’s Department
• Staying Home Leaving Violence and Integrated Case Management projects, positioned in the Department of Community Services
• Risk Assessment Tool project for people at risk of domestic violence, positioned in NSW Health
• A specialist domestic and family violence training and resource project located in the Education Centre Against Violence, NSW Health.  This position has not yet commenced but is expected to be finalised shortly.

Police Force Region Co-ordinators

The VPCU is working closely with the newly established network of nine Region Coordinators within the NSW Police Force, located in:

• Newcastle
• Coffs Harbour
• Dubbo
• Tamworth
• Wollongong
• Wagga Wagga
• Surry Hills
• Bankstown, and
• Parramatta.

These Coordinators are responsible to Police Region Commanders.  Their focus is on:

• ensuring links between local domestic and family violence service delivery and state-wide strategic priorities are developed and maintained; and
• promoting change to ensure regional criminal justice and human service responses are delivered in an integrated manner.

The Region Coordinators will maintain a strong regional focus and will eventually work closely alongside the 35 new domestic violence police specialists to be appointed by the NSW Police Force.  Importantly, they are in senior roles in order to effectively drive change and be able to liaise with key senior agency representatives.

Region Coordinators contact details are here.