Overview

Domestic and family violence occurs when one person in a relevant relationship uses violence or abuse to control the other person. It includes behaviour or a pattern of behaviour aimed at controlling a partner or family member through fear, intimidation, and coercion Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012, section 8. Parents who choose to perpetrate domestic and family violence are also more likely to perpetrate other forms of child abuse and engage in negative parenting practices. 

The statistic on prevalence continues to build with recommendations to shift focus towards the prevalence of people using violence, as opposed to the traditional approach of tracking victimisation rates. According to the nationwide Australian Child Maltreatment Study (Haslam et al.), 2 in 5 children experience exposure to domestic and family violence.

Domestic and family violence impacts the fundamental human right to live in safety and security. People who use domestic violence are solely responsible for their use of violence and coercion and its impact on others. While anyone can perpetrate domestic and family violence, the overwhelming majority of acts of domestic violence and sexual assault are perpetrated by men against women (Diemer).

Due to the gendered nature of domestic family violence this practice kit will deliberately use the following gendered language throughout:

* The term ‘father’ encompasses reference to biological fathers, partners, stepparents, or other people significant to the non-offending parent, either residing in the household or external to the household. In the context of domestic and family violence, not every person who uses violence is the biological father of the child.This practice kit incorporates the Safe and Together model and the Common Risk and Safety Framework which are to be used in conjunction with the Strengthening families Protecting Children Framework for Practice and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle.