In 2016 the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence) described children as the ‘silent victims’ of domestic and family violence (DFV). In the eight years since that report there has been substantive efforts internationally to improve understandings of children and young people’s experiences of violence in the home, and to develop policies and build service system responses that recognise children as victim-survivors in their own right. There remains, however, few studies in Australia which have engaged directly with children and young people with lived experience of DFV in order to understand whether system responses and interventions meet their safety and recovery needs.

This presentation will present the findings from a recent study in Victoria, which involved in-depth interviews with 17 children and young people with lived experience of DFV. The presentation aims to give voice to the lived experience and expertise of young victim-survivors. The young victim-survivors interviewed for this study were unanimous in their agreement that current responses to young victim-survivors of DFV are inadequate. This study highlights the importance of improving service system navigation and accessibility, ensuring the availability of child- centric spaces, developing age-appropriate supports and individualised responses, and ensuring safe and trauma informed practices are embedded across the DFV system. Our presentation will examine why there is a critical need to improve current policy and practice to ensure responses to children and young people experiencing DFV are child-centred, age-appropriate and informed by lived experience.


Key Learnings:

1. This study highlights the importance of improving service system navigation and accessibility, ensuring the availability of child- centric spaces, and developing age-appropriate supports and individualised responses.

2. Children and young people interviewed discussed the need for authentic first points of contact that provide validation of the harms experienced.

3. Responses to children and young people experiencing DFV must centre their agency, empowerment and control over their lives. This recognition must be front and centre in the development of policy and practice responses seeking to address children and young people’s family violence safety, support and recovery needs.

In 2016 the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence) described children as the ‘silent victims’ of domestic and family violence (DFV). In the eight years since that report there has been substantive efforts internationally to improve understandings of children and young people’s experiences of violence in the home, and to develop policies and build service system responses that recognise children as victim-survivors in their own right. There remains, however, few studies in Australia which have engaged directly with children and young people with lived experience of DFV in order to understand whether system responses and interventions meet their safety and recovery needs.

This presentation will present the findings from a recent study in Victoria, which involved in-depth interviews with 17 children and young people with lived experience of DFV. The presentation aims to give voice to the lived experience and expertise of young victim-survivors. The young victim-survivors interviewed for this study were unanimous in their agreement that current responses to young victim-survivors of DFV are inadequate. This study highlights the importance of improving service system navigation and accessibility, ensuring the availability of child- centric spaces, developing age-appropriate supports and individualised responses, and ensuring safe and trauma informed practices are embedded across the DFV system. Our presentation will examine why there is a critical need to improve current policy and practice to ensure responses to children and young people experiencing DFV are child-centred, age-appropriate and informed by lived experience.


Key Learnings:

1. This study highlights the importance of improving service system navigation and accessibility, ensuring the availability of child- centric spaces, and developing age-appropriate supports and individualised responses.

2. Children and young people interviewed discussed the need for authentic first points of contact that provide validation of the harms experienced.

3. Responses to children and young people experiencing DFV must centre their agency, empowerment and control over their lives. This recognition must be front and centre in the development of policy and practice responses seeking to address children and young people’s family violence safety, support and recovery needs.