The Allan Labor Government is supporting First Nations led family violence services, with Aboriginal service Dardi Munwurro to deliver a new pilot program for adults who pose a serious risk of harm to victim survivors.
Minster for Prevention of Family Violence Vicki Ward today announced Melbourne-based service, Dardi Munwurro, as the third provider selected as part of a two-year, $3.2 milliontrial.
The Changing Ways pilot program is designed to help ensure victim survivors - including children and young people - are kept safer by increasing the focus on the person using violence through intensive interventions and individual behaviour change work.
The Dardi Munwurro pilot will run in Northern and Southern Metropolitan Melbourne and join Changing Ways trials being run by Good Shepherd in partnership with Peninsula Health in the Bayside Peninsula Area, and Meli (formerly Bethany Community Support and Barwon Child Youth and Family) in the Barwon Area.
The Dardi program will be tailored to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and provide flexible, culturally sensitive and comprehensive responses.
Referrals into the Aboriginal-led pilot program will begin in early 2024.
As part of the trial, Dardi Munwurro will work with a range of services and organisations including justice and statutory services, mental health services, family services, alcohol and other drug and disability services.
The program will be independently evaluated and contribute to the evidence base on what works to address family violence.
Since the Royal Commission into Family Violence, the Labor Government has invested more than $3.8 billion to improve the way we prevent and respond to family violence.
Supporting Aboriginal-led services to work with Aboriginal families reflects the Labor Government's focus on self-determination in its family violence reforms.
As stated by Minister for Prevention of Family Violence Vicki Ward
"It's essential that we support access to Aboriginal-led family violence services and ensure this pilot is culturally safe and appropriately tailored to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities."
As stated by Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Natalie Hutchins
"We know that when you listen to and work with communities, you get better outcomes. I look forward to seeing the pilot program roll out and support behaviour change within communities."
As stated by Dardi Munwurro CEO Alan Thorpe
"Changing Ways will be a ground-breaking program providing a culturally appropriate response to work with the complexities of family violence within First Nations' families and communities."
