If you, or someone you know, need urgent help, please see our list of support organisations and services.
About the initiative
This initiative provides funding to 6 Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to pilot a model of place-based outreach healthcare services for victim-survivors escaping FDSV. The program is designed to strengthen integration with health and community services and reduce barriers for victim-survivors accessing services.
This initiative is part of a range of measures under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032.
Why it is important
Family, domestic and sexual violence, including child sexual abuse, is a national public health and welfare issue. It is the main reason women, children and young people leave their homes and experience housing insecurity or homelessness in Australia.
Women, children and young people who are escaping violence often experience barriers to accessing health and community services. Providing integrated health and community services can help reconnect women, children and young people to their communities and support their long-term recovery.
Goals
This initiative aims to provide trauma-informed, culturally safe, and accessible services for women, children and young people that will support their long-term recovery. This initiative will support victim-survivors, including individuals and groups that experience higher rates of FDSV such as:
- First Nations women, children, and young people
- women, children, and young people with a disability
- women, children, and young people from culturally and linguistically diverse, migrant and refugee backgrounds
- pregnant women and girls
- LGBTIQA+ people
- women, children, and young people from rural and remote communities.
Meeting our goals
PHNs are setting up outreach care teams in targeted locations to meet the needs of women, children and young people experiencing FDSV.
Outreach care teams will:
- provide comprehensive wrap-around support to victim-survivors including coordinating health services and referrals to social support services
- offer a range of healthcare services based on the needs of victim-survivors
- work with an existing domestic violence crisis centre, FDSV women’s refuge or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation in their region.
Who we work with
We funded these PHNs to set-up an outreach healthcare pilot for victim-survivors within their regions:
- Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network
- Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network
- Gippsland Primary Health Network
- Northern Queensland Primary Health Network
- Western Queensland Primary Health Network
- South Eastern NSW Primary Health Network
We have funded ABT Associates to evaluate the pilot program.
Status
The outreach healthcare pilots intend to start providing services by mid-2025.
Contact
