A five-year strategy will deal with domestic and family violence from every angle, providing new ways of responding to affected individuals and families, Community Services Minister Karen Struthers announced today.
In Rockhampton to launch the plan, Ms Struthers said a local $2.7 million trial was one of the key initiatives under the strategy – For our sons and daughters: A Queensland Government strategy to reduce domestic and family violence 2009-2014.
“A new response model will be trialed over the next two years and will build on the groundbreaking work of local Magistrate Annette Hennessey,” she said.
“Another key initiative will be to invest $660,000 over the next year in the Safety Upgrades Program, which aims to help victims get on with their lives through such measures as increasing security at their homes including changing locks and installing security screens.
“This program also includes crisis accommodation for perpetrators who have had ouster conditions imposed by a magistrate and access to behaviour change programs.
“We have also established a Death Review Panel to look at domestic violence-related deaths, and find out what more could have been done to prevent the death and identify any gaps in services for victims.”
Child Safety Minister Phil Reeves said local staff would form a case-coordination team to lead the trial.
“A case co-ordination team is being set up in Rockhampton and will include police, Child Safety staff and a specialist domestic and family violence worker,” he said.
“The Rockhampton courts will support the trial by continuing to have specific days for domestic and family violence cases, support for both parties during the court process and a court liaison officer, employed to work with the case co-ordination team.”
State Member for Keppel Paul Hoolihan welcomed the local trial. He said the strategy followed last year’s extensive consultation, which generated 140 submissions.
“Domestic violence rarely has a single, simple cause, and the unfortunate consequences are rarely confined to just the person on whom the violence is inflicted,” Mr Hoolihan said.
“This is a plan to improve coordination and effectiveness so services have a better chance of helping those affected by violence at the earliest opportunity, before situations spiral out of control.”
The Case Co-ordination Team in Rockhampton is expected to work with its first families by November this year and a full report on the trial’s results are due back to government by 2011.
For more information on the government’s strategy to reduce domestic violence, visit: http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/
Media Contact: Minister’s office 3237 0993
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