We are excited to host this year’s Annual Member Forum in-person at the Queen Victoria Women's Centre, spread across two days in September.
The Forum is an opportunity for Victoria’s family violence sector to centre lived experience and co-production approaches as we look forward and explore key priorities for the next 12 months and beyond.
The in-person component of this year’s Forum is open to senior leaders from full member services, with select online sessions available to anyone working in a Safe and Equal member service, as well as individual members.
Forum Program
Tuesday 27 September
9:00 am
9:30 am
9:45 am
10:15 am
11:15 am
11:45 am
12:45 pm
1:45 pm
2:45 pm
3:45 pm
4:15 pm
4:30 pm
5:30 pm
7:00 pm
Registrations open
Welcome to Country
Opening addresses from Maria Dimopolous, Minister Ros Spence MP and Tania Farha
In conversation: Commissioner Sue-Anne Hunter, Dr Simone Gristwood & Commissioner Meena Singh (On centering first nations women’s voices)
Morning tea
Aboriginal cultural safety and allyship within the non-Aboriginal family violence sector
Lunch
Sustaining the Workforce and Expanding Capacity
Workforce Sustainability Workshop
Afternoon tea
Day 1 Wrap Up
Live music performance: Bumpy
Networking function
Dinner
Wednesday 28 September
9:00 am
9:30 am
9:45 am
10:45 am
11:15 am
12:15 pm
1:15 pm
2:45 pm
3:15 pm
4:15 pm
4:45 pm
Registrations open
Welcome to Day 2
Building a data-driven & survivor centered view of the family violence response system
Morning tea
A Client Outcomes Measurement Framework for specialist family violence services
Lunch
A conversation on trans and gender diverse inclusion
Afternoon tea
Harnessing the prevention power of specialist family violence services
Forum wrap up
End of Forum
Session information
Sustaining the Workforce and Expanding Capacity
Workforce sustainability is an essential consideration for the specialist family violence sector. Answering the perennial question: how do we retain expertise and continually build the capacity of our workforce, while navigating a period of significant reform and increased service demand? This panel discussion will draw on expertise to discuss the building blocks of a sustainable workforce in conjunction with initiatives to develop capacity, both now and into the future across social services.
Workforce Sustainability Workshop
Following the workforce sustainability plenary discussion this workshop will explore potential workforce capacity and sustainability initiatives based on ideas and questions posed by the panel and with a particular focus on tailoring support to specialist family violence workers in line with career pathways. Led by Safe and Equal’s Sector Development Unit, this session will provide members with an opportunity to help shape the workforce capacity building strategy of the peak and its contribution to broader government initiatives that go to building and sustaining the capacity of social services.
Building a data driven and survivor centered view of the Victorian family violence response system
Family violence systems data is complex, disconnected, and incomplete. This means that decision makers do not have access to a complete data set to understand the numbers of people accessing family violence support, the system’s capacity to meet year on year increases in demand, and whether people are receiving the support they need when they need it.
The Victorian family violence sector requires a 360-degree data driven view of the family violence system that can account for demand and system capacity to meet demand, understand client journeys through the system from different entry points and contexts, identify and analyse systemic barriers and enablers, provide a gendered economic analysis and business case for investment in specialist family violence responses, and account for client outcomes at both the service level and the systemic level.
In this session we will report back on key insights from the Measuring Family Violence Services Demand Project and hear from Safe and Equal member organisations who have been progressing work to build their service’s data capability as we consider next steps in building a data driven and survivor centered view of the Victorian family violence response system that can improve outcomes for victim survivors and the future sustainability of specialist family violence services.
A Client Outcomes Measurement Framework for Specialist Family Violence Services in Victoria
Measuring and demonstrating outcomes for clients accessing specialist family violence services is a critical lever for demonstrating accountability to victim survivors, articulating the value of specialist family violence response and centering client voice. It is also currently a critical gap in the sector’s view of the Victorian family violence response system.
In this session, we will present and consult on a draft client outcomes framework for specialist family violence services in Victoria. This draft framework is the outcome of a recent co-design process Safe and Equal has undertaken with a group of survivor advocates and external consultants Think Impact. The session will be co-facilitated by members of the survivor advocate advisory group and will include a consultation on the draft framework as we consider the next steps for its development and how we can integrate client level, service level, and system level outcomes in the final framework.
Harnessing the prevention power of specialist family violence services
A workshop to explore the linkages and intersections between specialist family violence responses to victim survivors and the prevention workforce.
A recently released report by the Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor report of the primary prevention architecture identified a number of themes for consideration including the need for a more connected and joined up system, and for clear outcomes to drive the work of those within that system. Specialist family violence services, among others, were identified as local leaders in prevention, with a key role to play in the system.
This workshop aims to be generative and catalytic. Generative by sharing strengths and challenges of prevention work within specialist family violence services to date, and catalytic by identifying opportunities for collaboration, and support across the prevention system. How can prevention efforts occurring within specialist family violence services collaborate with, and be supported by other actors in the prevention workforce, and vis-versa?
