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Perpetrators and people who use violence priority area

Developing a system-wide approach to keeping perpetrators accountable, connected and responsible for stopping their violence

This priority area focuses on developing a system-wide approach to keeping perpetrators and people who use violence accountable. It also seeks to keep them connected and responsible for stopping their violence.

It acknowledges that every time a person who uses violence interacts with the service system, there is an opportunity to effect behaviour change and intervene. This change is more likely to happen when the government, the broader service system, community and society are working together to prevent violence or intervene early.

The focus for the Rolling Action Plan is to work with sector partners and draw on the experiences of victim survivors, perpetrators and people who use violence to progress reform activities. Activities are grouped under three themes: enhanced service responses, cultural safety and inclusion and enablers.

What has happened

We rapidly addressed the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the family violence sector and delivery of services. This included the establishment of Operation Ribbon and ensuring that family violence court matters were heard online. All urgent and high-risk matters were prioritised through this process. Agencies have adapted the way they work with perpetrators and people who use violence. This includes using telephone-based and online service delivery.

Operation Ribbon and Family Violence Investigation Units

Operation Ribbon was Victoria Police’s pro‑active family violence operation. It was launched to reach out to victim survivors and perpetrators during the COVID‑19 pandemic. This was due to the recognition that victim survivors might find it difficult to report family violence and seek assistance while self‑isolating at home with a perpetrator. Police reached out to victim survivors to check on their safety and wellbeing. They also contacted perpetrators to monitor their behaviour and keep them in view.

At its conclusion in December 2020, Operation Ribbon involved 32,963 contacts with 23,355 affected family members (victim survivors) and 9,608 perpetrators of violence. The 9,608 contacts with perpetrators of family violence led to:

  • the remand of 1,072 individuals, with 470 individuals bailed and 383 summonsed
  • the detection of 5,360 breaches of family violence intervention order offences
  • the detection of 3,014 other family violence offences.

Since Operation Ribbon ceased, the lessons learned have seen specialist Family Violence Investigation Units investigators continue to actively engage with high-risk victim survivors and perpetrators. They also liaise closely with partner services in line with management plans, to monitor safety and compliance. This type of sustained proactive engagement is important and will continue within Victoria Police as a model of family violence management.

What is next

Most of the activities and initiatives in this priority area will continue into 2022:

  • Magistrates at headquarter courts will be able to mandate that perpetrators attend a counselling program.
  • Continued implementation of additional Specialist Family Violence Courts with another seven courts identified with funding through the 2021–22 state budget.
  • Continued delivery of Tuning into Respectful Relationships. This is a culturally inclusive program suitable for remand and short sentence prisoners. It will be delivered in almost all Victorian prisons.
  • Implementing post-participation follow up for perpetrators who have engaged with Men's Behaviour Change Programs. This will provide an opportunity to:
    • support and reinforce behaviour change and accountability
    • monitor and manage risk to victim survivors
    • better understand the trajectory towards positive behaviour change.
  • Continued development and implementation of client outcomes measurement and monitoring for perpetrator interventions, building on approaches currently being trialled.
  • Finalisation of the measures for the perpetrator outcomes and indicators to support the perpetrator domain of the Family Violence Outcomes Framework.

What this means for outcomes

Updated