The Social Responder Project, funded through a one-off investment made by the Commonwealth Government under the Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence National Partnership Agreement 2023-2025 and administered by the NSW Office of the Women’s Safety Commissioner, Department of Communities and Justice, is a capacity building initiative aimed at equipping faith and community leaders in migrant and refugee communities with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to act as social responders to Domestic, Family & Sexual Violence (DFSV). Social responders, defined as individuals who intentionally or unintentionally respond to victim-survivors outside of a formal service role, hold a unique position to influence cultural and community norms.

The project seeks to strengthen trauma-informed and culturally safe responses to DFSV by enhancing community-level intervention and early response capabilities. The objectives also include fostering stronger collaboration between community leaders and specialist DFSV services and creating spaces for shared learning and dialogue. Training will be delivered to a range of communities, including Bengali, Rohingya and Urdu-speaking communities in Canterbury-Bankstown and Northern Rivers regions.

The presentation will provide an overview of:
• The role and significance of social responders within migrant and refugee communities
• How community-led, culturally responsive approaches complement and strengthen formal DFSV service systems
• Best practice for engaging social responders through trauma-informed training and participatory interventions
• The value of working in partnership with organisations that extensively work with target communities, collaborating and coordinating to complement strengths

The session will offer insight into the process of fostering ethical multi-agency partnerships and utilising trauma-informed community consultation practices. It will showcase the positive impact of amplifying grassroots efforts in addressing DFSV, particularly in communities that are often under-served by mainstream services, with the aim of contributing to the evidence base for community-led initiatives.

The Miranda Project is an innovative, gender-specific initiative that works with individuals who identify as female and are at risk of both domestic and family violence as well as involvement in the criminal legal system.

This program provides critical support to vulnerable women who are navigating the justice system, whether they are attending court, serving community-based orders, or transitioning from custody.

The Miranda Project is committed to addressing the rising incarceration rates of women by offering genuine, person-centred support and creating meaningful alternatives to imprisonment.

Through a holistic and trauma-informed case management approach, the project empowers clients to work toward their personal goals, build stability, and reconnect with community supports.

The Miranda Project is a vital resource in advocating for change and creating safer, more inclusive outcomes for women at risk.

The purpose of this presentation is discussing clients who are often misidentified as the person using violence. Female clients are often misidentified as aggressors in domestic and family violence (DFV) situations due to a combination of systemic, cultural, and procedural factors. This misidentification can have serious consequences, including legal penalties, loss of custody, and further trauma for the victim.

This presentation aims to discuss those barriers and highlight how we support our clients navigate those challenges.

This presentation seeks to examine the power of autobiographical narrative as a methodological and epistemological tool to articulate the institutional mechanisms that perpetuate, obscure, and normalise the micro-realities of sexism and sexual harassment within educational workspaces. Using self-narrative as a de/reconstructive process, and by foregrounding the situated perspective of the survivor-researcher, this work presents a series of evocative vignettes to illuminate how sexual harassment is enacted through gendered discourse, the normalisation of sexist practices, and the operation of power relations that determine whose voices are amplified and whose are silenced.
Drawing on the research conducted for my doctoral dissertation, this inquiry integrates personal testimony, empirical data, and historical analysis to examine the circulation of power within institutional relationships, as well as the fluid and often contested nature of identity as it is shaped by specific socio-cultural and institutional contexts. Weaving between experiences of vulnerability and critical reflexivity, my research explores the gendered power dynamics that render it difficult to name, challenge, and push back against incidents of sexual harassment within educational institutions.
Positioned as a retrospective reflection framed through the lens of complaint, this presentation explores the interconnections between subjectivity, power, and institutional culture. It highlights the ways in which identity, gender, and self-knowledge are frequently constrained by embedded power structures that serve to privilege some positionalities while marginalising others.
Despite a reported increase in disclosures of workplace sexual harassment over the past decade, adult-to-adult sexual misconduct in Australian educational settings remains an under-researched and insufficiently addressed phenomenon. This presentation aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex social dynamics and challenges faced by women in educational work environments. It further explores how sexism operates as a shifting and adaptive force that not only obscures incidents of harassment but also relocates accountability away from perpetrators and institutional structures.

This presentation delves into the often overlooked yet critical role of animals in the context of family violence. It will illuminate the profound interconnectedness between the safety and well-being of people and animals, demonstrating how violence against companion animals is frequently employed by perpetrators as a tactic to inflict harm and assert power and control over women and children. We will discuss the recent changes to the Family Law Act which now mandate courts to consider any history of family violence and animal abuse when making orders regarding ownership of companion animals. Furthermore, the presentation will provide a overview of how animals are specifically addressed within domestic and family violence legislation in each Australian state and territory, highlighting both existing protections and areas for continued advocacy. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of this complex issue, empowering them to recognise the signs of animal abuse in family violence situations and comprehend the evolving legal framework designed to protect all members of a household.

NB-topic is Open

Presentation to shape a unique, survivor-led whilst addressing the gaps: Secondary Prevention, navigating sexual intimacy (“Let’s talk about Sex”) & complexities of healing after FV

Vision:
- Survivor-led focusing on lived experience
- Challenging traditional professional frameworks
- Creating meaningful space for advocates

Core Objectives:
1. Amplify Survivor Voices
- Provide platform for authentic survivor experiences
- Move beyond tokenistic representation
- Support advocates professionally and emotionally

2. Explore Critical Topics
- Intimacy and sexual relations after family violence
- Secondary prevention of abusive relationships
- Healing journeys and transformation

3. Challenging Sector Dynamics
- Address corporatization of family violence sector
- Create fair compensation and opportunities
- Develop survivor centred approaches

Discussion Areas:
- Safely engaging people who use violence
- Understanding relationship red flags
- Supporting long-term healing processes
- Addressing systemic gaps in support

Unique Presentation Characteristics:
- Prioritise lived experience perspectives
- Create safe, supportive environment
- Focus on practical, actionable insights
- Provide deep, nuanced exploration of family violence impacts

Healing and Relationships
- Discussing the journey of survivors after experiencing family violence
- Exploring secondary prevention strategies
- Talking about how survivors can identify healthy relationships
- Addressing the challenge of multiple abusive relationships

Sensitive Topics to Explore
- Sexual intimacy after family violence
- Understanding red flags in relationships
- The psychological impact of family violence
- The complexity of healing and potential for survivors to become abusive

Potential Presentation Themes
- Intimacy and sexual relations after family violence
- Identifying early warning signs in relationships
- Sharing diverse survivor experiences
- Supporting professionals who may be experiencing family violence

We are passionate about creating a genuine, survivor-centred approach that respects their experiences and provides meaningful support and opportunities. A conference presentation with a difference and a truly transformative event.

Good morning. My name is Hazel, and today I share a story I never imagined would be mine. I’ve titled this talk after a chilling question my ex-husband asked me weeks after I fled our abusive relationship: “Are you afraid of me, or are you afraid of what I might do?” It wasn’t really a question—it was a warning. And the truth was yes, I was afraid of both.

Seven years later, that fear hasn’t entirely gone. I’m here to speak about coercive control in the form of post-separation abuse and the toll that this has taken on me and my children. While I’ll briefly explain why I left, the focus today is on what came after: emotional and psychological manipulation, financial abuse, and ongoing, relentless litigation.

I’ve stood trial in Family Court. I’ve faced Domestic Violence hearings in Brisbane Magistrates Court. I’ve navigated child safety and police systems—both the Queensland Police Force and the Australian Federal Police. The abuse extended to QCAT and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Each of these systems, meant to protect, often became new battlegrounds where control was reasserted.

But this is not just a story of harm. It’s one of survival—and of voice. I’ll close by sharing what helped me persevere, and how vital language is in shifting narratives. Words matter. They shape policy, inform systems, and can either retraumatize or empower.

To truly stop domestic violence, we must acknowledge how it mutates after separation—and we must listen to those who’ve lived it.

Thank you for hearing my story.

Community leaders—especially women—are often the first trusted confidants for survivors of gender-based violence. They witness the signs: a shaming remark, a hidden bruise, or a quiet plea for help. Yet many migrant and refugee leaders lack the training, tools, and system knowledge to provide effective support. Research shows that 84% of people from migrant backgrounds disclose family violence to friends or family—not services.

Since 2021, GenWest’s Multilingual Health Education team has worked with migrant and refugee communities in Melbourne’s West, delivering in-language, culturally safe, evidence-based health education through a peer-to-peer model. Our shared language, lived experience, and cultural connection have fostered deep trust and long-term engagement.

Through this work, women in our communities expressed awareness of violence but also deep frustration—wanting to help but feeling powerless due to complex systems. In response, in 2024 we launched Project Sitara, in-language and culturally informed program to train community leaders to support survivors and advocate for change.

Co-designed with eleven Indian women, the program combines GenWest’s expertise in gender-based violence prevention and response with community knowledge. Grounded in the Change the Story framework, Sitara blends prevention strategies with pop culture to make complex ideas relatable. It equips leaders to challenge harmful gender norms, promote gender equity, and ensure culturally safe support.

The project has already trained 21 Indian women in Melbourne and is now expanding to Ballarat in partnership with the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and supported by Respect Victoria.

“As women, we will no longer remain silent.”

“We’ll support those in need and connect them to services that can help.”

Project Sitara is a powerful example of culturally safe prevention in action—harnessing the leadership of migrant and refugee women to build safer, more resilient communities.

Background. Existing research demonstrates that adherence to patriarchal masculinity norms is positively associated with violence perpetration among adolescent boys. Despite boys comprising the bulk of youth incarcerated in Canada, gender-specific risks for juvenile (re)offending have rarely been considered in the development and implementation of violence prevention interventions. Methods. WiseGuyz is a strengths-based, gender-transformative healthy relationships program aimed at improving mental and sexual health and reducing male-perpetrated violence by deconstructing restrictive norms related to gender and masculinity. Study participants included boys residing in a youth corrections facility in a large city in Canada who had received the WiseGuyz program (n = 11), program facilitators (n = 3), and corrections staff (n = 2). These individuals all participated in semi-structured interviews. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyze these data. Masculinities theory is used to frame findings, as well as implications for applying this program in youth corrections. Results. Five themes were identified across the 16 interviews. Two themes focus on how the correctional setting constructed and reinforced ideas about masculinity and how unique developmental experiences impacted program uptake. The third theme speaks to positive influences of the WiseGuyz program on gendered ideas and understanding of gender and sexual diversity among youth, despite the constraints posed by the setting. The other two themes centered on recommendations for program delivery in this setting. These recommendations include closed group formats, creating opportunities for one-to-one meetings between youth and facilitators, and embedding physical movement in program delivery. Discussion. Overall, this exploratory study found initial support for the use of WiseGuyz within a youth corrections setting, suggesting the potential utility of gender-transformative approaches with this population. Future adaptations to the WiseGuyz program to better meet the needs of justice-involved boys will be discussed, as well as implications for violence prevention initiatives.

Background. Policy efforts are critical to preventing violence across the life course. For teen dating violence (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional, and/or stalking aggression experienced in an adolescent dating, romantic, or sexual relationships before the age of majority; TDV), current prevention guidance specifically points to the key role of law and policy. Yet, outside of the United States, extremely limited research is available on law and policy for TDV prevention. The aim of this study was to review all provincial/territorial legislation in Canada relevant to primary, secondary, and tertiary TDV prevention, in order to identify gaps and inform future policy advocacy and research. Methods. We completed the initial review in 2022, and updated the review in fall 2024/winter 2025. To locate available law and policy, we created a comprehensive search strategy with key terms, and searched legislative databases in each province/territory (N = 13). Eligible laws and policies included those that were more directly targeted at violence prevention (e.g., domestic violence laws, education laws), as well as supplemental laws that might contain information relevant to TDV (e.g., employment laws, tenancy laws). We analyzed laws using a structured coding template. Results. Twelve of the thirteen provinces and territories in Canada had some type of domestic violence legislation, but dating violence experienced by minors was not directly considered in any of these laws. In addition, no provincial/territorial education acts or children’s services acts mentioned teen dating violence prevention. However, we did locate 49 supplementary acts and regulations relevant to domestic violence (average of 4 per province/territory), which could also be used by minors in certain circumstances. Conclusion: The findings of our study highlight key TDV policy gaps in Canada, and important directions for policy advocacy. Our findings also support cross-country dialogue about the role of law and policy in preventing TDV.

Background. Parents and caregivers play a critical role in supporting adolescents who have experienced teen dating violence (TDV) victimization (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional, and/or stalking aggression in an adolescent dating, romantic, or sexual relationship). Yet, there is no research on caregivers’ responses after a child discloses dating violence. This information is critical to developing post-TDV interventions that support youth in their healing journey, as well preventing domestic violence in adulthood among these youth. Methods. We collected data from 471 parents/caregivers from across Canada in winter 2025. Respondents needed to be the parent or caregiver of a child who experienced TDV in the past 5 years, and before the child was age 18. Participants completed an anonymous survey that asked for information on the type(s) of TDV their child experienced, how they came to learn about the violence, and actions they took in response. Data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate statistics for quantitative items, and qualitative content analysis for open-ended response items. Results. Children (53.1% cisgender girls) were on average 12.5 years old when TDV started. Most caregivers learned about the violence because their child talked to them about it, or because they asked their child based on observed warning signs. The most common actions caregivers took after child disclosure were contacting the school (25.7%), talking to their child’s romantic partner (20.2%), and talking to a family member about it (24.2%). We are currently analyzing open-ended data, and will present on facilitators and barriers of using these supports. Discussion. As a form of violence that happens to minors, caregivers play a key role in supporting youth to receive desired services post-dating violence, which is critical to support healing and preventing future domestic violence victimization. We will discuss implications of our findings for violence prevention service providers.

Across two decades of national plans, public campaigns, and prevention strategies, violence against women and children in remains distressingly persistent. While the sector has made significant progress in identifying gender inequality, entitlement, and rigid norms as key drivers, overall rates of violence have not markedly declined. This raises a difficult but necessary question: What might we still be missing in our understanding of prevention?
There is widespread agreement that at its core, family and sexual violence is about power, its misuse, its enforcement, and its reproduction across relationships and systems. If power is the central issue, then how we understand power becomes critical to how we prevent violence. This article introduces a new conceptual tool drawn from the Reconfiguring Gravity framework: a spatial and relational lens that reimagines power not just as something held or enacted, but as something that shapes the space between people collapsing options, distorting movement, and punishing distance.
Rather than replacing existing models, this lens seeks to deepen and extend them. It invites practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders to consider how violence can begin with the erosion of space, when one person becomes the fixed centre of gravity, and the other must choose between collapsing inward to maintain proximity or resisting that pull at great relational cost. It is often in this refusal to collapse, this act of ethical resistance, that gravitational power intensifies and violence takes form. In parallel, the paper introduces, and focuses on, the concept of ethical repositioning as a primary prevention strategy with men, supporting those who recognise their own gravitational pull to shift their relationship to power before violence emerges. Prevention, then, becomes not only about shifting attitudes or behaviours, but about protecting relational space, disrupting collapse, and enabling the conditions in which no one must diminish in order to belong.

We are applying to present on our experience creating and delivering, Love Shouldn’t Hurt (LSH), a primary prevention program aimed to prevent family domestic violence (FDV) and strengthen community engagement.
In August 2024, the Pilbara Community Legal Service (PCLS) secured grant funding to design and implement a violence prevention education program to young people in the Pilbara region (Year 8s & 9s) to address the underlying drivers of FDV.
LSH was created in response to two needs: a request from our local high school for support, and an increasing number of young people accessing family domestic violence) support services as primary victims.
To ensure LSH was community-informed, we engaged consultant Daphne White from The Orange Story. With Daphne’s expertise, we conducted extensive community consultation including one community workshop, an online workshop, five in-person group interviews and four individual interviews. Insights from these sessions shaped the foundation of LSH’s three key modules:
1. Respectful Relationships.
2. Consent; and
3. Online Citizenship & Technology Facilitated Abuse.
The modular format allows the content to be tailored to suit the cultural and social context of each learning environment.
The Pilbara is comprised of many First Nations Countries with different cultural needs that need to be addressed. Other locations have higher rates of multicultural people. We work with schools to adapt language and activities to be appropriate, engaging and localised.
Our key learnings from developing and delivering LSH are:
1. lack of youth support services and knowledge results in young people seeking support from their friends which reinforces negative or normalised attitudes about FDV.
2. control and sexual abuse in an online context are normalised, expected or misidentified; and
3. consent is understood in theory, however young people struggle to apply consent including in friendships, both in-person and online.

Unravelling the Silence: The Lifelong Impact of Childhood Domestic Violence

Domestic and family violence doesn’t end when a child leaves the home — its effects seep into every corner of adulthood. As a survivor of childhood domestic violence, I share a deeply personal lens on the lifelong consequences of growing up in fear, secrecy, and chaos.

This survivor-led presentation unpacks the enduring trauma children carry — including identity fragmentation, suppressed grief, loss of safety, and significant disruptions to education and development. In my case, these impacts manifested in dissociation, a diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (D.I.D), and later, adaptive coping strategies such as alcohol and sex addictions — desperate attempts to escape a world that never felt safe.

As a child, I was silenced. As an adult, I’m taking that voice back — not just for myself, but for the countless children who survived behind closed doors and were never asked, 'Are you okay?'

Through raw storytelling and reflections from my memoir *Unravelled*, I offer insight into the ripple effects of childhood D.V and the immense inner work required to heal from wounds that society rarely sees. I speak to the shame, confusion, and internal chaos survivors navigate — often misdiagnosed, misunderstood, or ignored entirely.

This presentation calls for trauma-informed, survivor-centred responses that recognise children as survivors, in their own right. It invites systems, services, and communities to truly turn the tide — not with assumptions, but by listening to those who’ve lived the impact.

Unravelling the silence is how we begin to rebuild lives. It’s how we shape change that lasts.

This presentation shares preliminary findings from a qualitative study investigating the lived experiences of immigration-related stress among Chinese male immigrants in Australia. While previous research has identified immigration stress as a contributing factor to intimate partner violence (IPV), this is the first study to explore, in depth, how Chinese men themselves describe the pressures they face during immigration and settlement.
Using semi-structured interviews conducted in Mandarin, participants shared their day-to-day challenges, including language barriers, job insecurity, financial strain, housing difficulties, and feelings of isolation and displacement. These stressors were often accompanied by emotions such as frustration, helplessness, and a perceived loss of status or control. Although this study does not directly measure IPV perpetration, it provides critical insight into the stress pathways that may shape relationship dynamics and contribute to risk.
This research lays the groundwork for a larger, forthcoming survey examining the link between immigration-related stress and IPV perpetration in this population. Understanding men’s stress experiences is an essential first step toward developing effective early intervention strategies.
The presentation will be of interest to practitioners and service providers working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. It highlights the importance of addressing structural and emotional stressors among immigrant men and encourages a preventative approach that supports well-being before harmful behaviours emerge.

We are applying to present on our experience creating and delivering, Love Shouldn’t Hurt (LSH), a primary prevention program aimed to prevent family domestic violence (FDV) and strengthen community engagement.
In August 2024, the Pilbara Community Legal Service (PCLS) secured grant funding to design and implement a violence prevention education program to young people in the Pilbara region (Year 8s & 9s) to address the underlying drivers of FDV.
LSH was created in response to two needs: a request from our local high school for support, and an increasing number of young people accessing family domestic violence) support services as primary victims.
To ensure LSH was community-informed, we engaged consultant Daphne White from The Orange Story. With Daphne’s expertise, we conducted extensive community consultation including one community workshop, an online workshop, five in-person group interviews and four individual interviews. Insights from these sessions shaped the foundation of LSH’s three key modules:
1. Respectful Relationships.
2. Consent; and
3. Online Citizenship & Technology Facilitated Abuse.
The modular format allows the content to be tailored to suit the cultural and social context of each learning environment.
The Pilbara is comprised of many First Nations Countries with different cultural needs that need to be addressed. Other locations have higher rates of multicultural people. We work with schools to adapt language and activities to be appropriate, engaging and localised.
Our key learnings from developing and delivering LSH are:
1. lack of youth support services and knowledge results in young people seeking support from their friends which reinforces negative or normalised attitudes about FDV.
2. control and sexual abuse in an online context are normalised, expected or misidentified; and
3. consent is understood in theory, however young people struggle to apply consent including in friendships, both in-person and online.

Young people have only recently become a focus in domestic and family violence (DFV) research and services as victim/survivors in their own right. Adolescence and emerging adulthood are crucial life stages for developing skills for engaging in healthy, intimate relationships. Yet, intimate partner violence (IPV) is prevalent among young people, with recent Australian data finding more than one in four young people aged 18-19 experienced IPV. Child maltreatment, or family violence, is also prevalent in this age group, with one in four young people experiencing three to five forms of child maltreatment such as physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to DFV. Limited development of healthy relationship skills during these life stages can have lasting impacts on all relationships in young people's lives. Young people are also among the loneliest and most socially isolated in our society, with social isolation remaining high after the COVID-19 pandemic compared to older groups. Research on the topics of loneliness and DFV is emerging, with limited understanding of the unique impact on young people (aged 12-25 years).
This presentation will explore the initial findings of a PhD project starting with results of a scoping review focused on social isolation, loneliness, and young people who have experienced or used DFV. In addition, this presentation will outline community service worker’s perspectives on the impact of loneliness and DFV on young people as well as how we can support lonely or isolated young people impacted by DFV. Preliminary data collected from young people will also be discussed, offering their unique perspectives on the impact of loneliness and DFV on their lives. Attendees will be encouraged to reflect on the impact of loneliness and DFV on the young people they work with and how they can support them to connect/reconnect as part of their healing journey.

Jaclyn Marquis is a public intellect and executive strategist with over two decades of experience in evidence-based leadership across construction, manufacturing, and the creative industries. In 2024, Jaclyn was indexed by Google as the Top Global Knowledge Centre. As the MBA architect of HEULDINS' integrated infrastructure and equity models, she champions regenerative, community-led systems that foster safety, innovation, and lasting value.

Consent to Connect is an early-intervention program grounded in the Queensland Government’s framework to prevent sexual and domestic violence. Designed to engage intergenerational audiences, it combines consent education, systems thinking, and community design to address violence at its root cause: disconnection from the self, from others, and from systems of care.

The Consent to Connect Campaign Scorecard includes:

• Fostering Safe Pathways and Realisation of Value
• Promoting Consent Culture to Endorse Respectful Relationships
• Interrupting Cycles of Intergenerational Violence
• Delivering Evidence-Based Literacy Education
• Applying a Cultural-Linguistic-Translation (CLT) Model

A review of 239 independent case studies (2009–2025) in therapeutic and industry settings found that the leading cause of conflict was not resistance—but disconnection, often driven by addiction, literacy gaps, administrative barriers, and the absence of forward-facing role models. Safety—emotional and structural—was shown to be the foundation where consent, learning, and self-worth could take root.

Consent to Connect provides a structured, evidence-informed bridge to early intervention by identifying the disconnection points that often precede domestic violence. Through participatory workshops, real-world inventory assessments, and reflective visioning, the program surfaces what’s missing before it becomes a deep seeded crisis. This positions Consent to Connect as a critical early intervention tool aligned with regional and national domestic violence prevention strategies.

Expressions of interest in co-design, delivery, or sponsorship of the Consent2Connect program can be directed to:

tean@heuldins.com.au

“Connection is the architecture of how we build safe futures—together.” — JPK Marquis

Opening Statement:
• Introduce the importance of safety and collaboration in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
• Highlight the impact of family and domestic violence and the necessity of community-led responses.
Key Focus Areas:
1. Grassroots Action: Empowering Communities to Lead Safety Efforts
• The role of local community initiatives in fostering resilience.
• Success stories of community-led safety programs.
2. Integrated Responses: Strengthening Multi-Agency Collaboration
• The power of unified partnerships among organizations, law enforcement, and social services.
• Examples of effective multi-agency frameworks in action.
3. Addressing Systemic Gaps with Specialist, Culturally Informed Support
• How by-and-for organizations meet specific community needs.
• Identifying and closing policy and service gaps for CALD communities.
4. Building Trust: Police-Community Partnerships to Enhance Safety
• Strategies for strengthening relationships between police and CALD communities.
• The impact of trust-building initiatives in improving reporting and intervention.
5. Co-Designing Culturally Responsive Interventions
• The role of community voices in shaping effective programs.
• Practical examples of co-designed solutions for domestic violence support.
6. Protecting Children: Early Intervention and Strategic Partnerships for Safety
• The importance of early identification and prevention in family violence cases.
• Collaborative approaches to safeguarding children’s well-being.
Conclusion:
• Reinforce the need for continued collaboration and innovation in tackling family and domestic violence.
• Call to action: Encouraging stakeholders to commit to community-led safety efforts.

Domestic violence is occurring at alarming rates in Australia. As such, it is essential that we build our understanding of the root causes of domestic violence. Gender norms are known to be a key societal driver of partner violence. Beliefs about gender and relationships are also linked to violence on the individual level. My research employs a schema theory approach to understand the recognition, response, and experience of non-physical forms of domestic violence (coercive control). Though it is more common than physical forms of violence and awareness of coercive control is growing, my research suggests that uncertainty in identifying patterns of coercive behaviour persist. Modelling shows that higher sexism and romanticisation of jealousy are linked to reduced identification of non-physical (e.g., coercive) forms of domestic violence, that in turn predicts higher levels of victim blame and greater personal perpetration or experience of domestic violence behaviours. Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, gendered drivers of violence intersect with the ongoing harms of colonisation to create a disproportionate burden of violence. Under Aboriginal leadership, I worked to incorporate insights from modelling links between gender and relationship beliefs into a Teacher Resource to assist staff with teaching a trauma informed Relationships and Sexuality Education Program in remote Aboriginal communities. Findings from this pilot research and implications for future prevention efforts are discussed.

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence (DFSV) remains a critical public health and social issue in Australia. Effective prevention and response require more than siloed interventions – it demands a coordinated, strategic approach that places victim-survivor safety at the centre and emphasises person using violence (PUV) accountability. This presentation will explore a South Australian multi-agency model of collaboration that enables timely and purposeful information sharing to reduce risk, improve safety, reduce service duplication, and identify systemic gaps in current responses to DFSV.

Through the lens of best practice, we will highlight how collaborative frameworks have supported agencies including health, police, child protection, housing, and specialist DFSV services to move beyond the parallel practice and towards integrated, victim-survivor centred interventions. Drawing on case examples, we will demonstrate how structured information sharing protocols have enabled risk to be identified and managed more effectively, supporting earlier intervention and improved service coordination.

Crucially, this approach also illuminates the gaps, where systems fail to connect, where responsibilities are unclear or where victim- survivors fall through the gaps. By fostering transparency and mutual accountability, multiagency collaboration serves as both a safety net and a feedback loop to inform continuous improvement in service delivery.

This session will offer insights into the operational enablers and challenges of building and sustaining coordinated localised community responses. Attendees will gain an understanding of the policy practice and cultural shifts required to embed strategic information sharing into systems and how such collaboration strengthens the collective capacity to enhance safety and work to prevent DFSV related harm and homicides.

This presentation affirms that we are indeed safer together – when agencies share not only information, but responsibility, resources, and resolve.

UnSilenced

Background:
Kahira's healing journey began on 8 January 1998 when she arrived in Australia, spending 13 transformative years on the Gold Coast - her sanctuary of recovery after enduring 25 years of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Returning to New Zealand in 2011, she co-founded Save Our Babies Charitable Trust with her whānau in 2013 to break cycles of trauma and uplift survivors through holistic, mana-enhancing support.

Methods:
The Trust's initiatives blend practical aid with emotional restoration. Cuppa and Kōrero (talk) create safe spaces for survivor dialogue, while Full Puku (Stomach) Full Potential addresses food insecurity in schools and communities. Boutique of Aroha (Love) provides free clothing, and Gotcha Sis/Gotcha Bro offer gender-inclusive connection spaces. The biannual UnSilenced Runway Event and Photoshoot celebrates survivor resilience through visibility. Each Kaupapa (Initiative) reflects Kahira's trauma-informed approach to healing through safety, dignity, and community.

Results:
The Trust has supported thousands of whānau (Family), providing vital resources while rebuilding social connections and personal agency. Participants report renewed self-worth, reduced isolation, and practical support, demonstrating how culturally grounded, survivor-led initiatives create sustainable change.

Conclusion:
From personal survival to systemic solutions, Kahira's journey embodies the Trust's transformative impact. Save Our Babies proves that lived experience can break intergenerational silence, turning pain into collective power and healing.

Substance Use Coercion is a pattern of behaviour where substances - legal or illicit, are weaponised to exert power and control over an individual. Within Australia, the use of legal or illicit substances within patterns of control are rarely recognised or explored. Women who are deemed as ‘Substance Misusers’, often experience barriers to seeking service support, and when they do seek support, can be met with inexperienced practitioners, lack of understanding as to the pattern of substance use and failure to see beyond the Family Violence. instead the focus within risk assessments is on whether the person who has used violence is currently using ‘drugs’. It is known that substance misuse is an accelerate to physical abuse and sexual violence, however we must ask the questions and ensure that women experiencing Substance Use Coercion are heard. Those with Lived Experienced of Substance Use Coercion, have advised of the ‘grooming’ patterns that occurred and lead to one woman being arrested and imprisoned for ‘drug trafficking’. This presentation will discussed two case studies and expanded on a model of practice for Substance Use Coercion.

When Systems Fail to Recognise Bias: Dealing with the Impact of Relational Trauma Upon Rejected Parents from the Lens of Rural and Remote Australia
This paper explores the often-overlooked consequences of systemic and community bias on parents—particularly mothers—who have been rejected by their children following separation, within the context of fractured attachments and alienating behaviours. Drawing on insights gained from psychoeducational support groups facilitated in rural and remote regions of Australia, this work highlights how coercive control can continue post-separation through subtle forms of relational trauma and child rejection.
A key theme emerging from group participants is the profound effect of community bias, where small-town dynamics, entrenched social allegiances, and limited anonymity can reinforce harmful narratives. These dynamics often align with the perpetrator, further marginalising the protective parent and impeding their recovery. The reluctance or inability of local systems—including education, legal, health, and child protection services—to recognise or address this bias exacerbates the trauma and isolation experienced by the rejected parent, and contributes to continued relational disconnection with the child.
The emerging data strongly underscores the need for a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and systemically aware approach to post-separation support in rural Australia. It highlights the importance of recognising the extended reach of coercive control—particularly how it shapes community narratives and influences service responses. Central to this approach is the prioritisation of child wellbeing through safe, supported reconnection with the rejected parent. However, significant barriers persist. Local bias often inhibits the delivery of appropriate training and support, while individuals who may privately empathise with or support the rejected parent often feel unable to do so publicly due to professional roles or social affiliations. This silence further entrenches the isolation and systemic neglect experienced by both parent and child.

Primary prevention of violence against women and children aims to stop violence before it happens through addressing its underlying, gendered divers and reinforcing factors. This whole-of-population approach, grounded in a public health approach, targets every level of the social ecology, including individuals, communities, organisations and institutions. To achieve the broad, deep and sustainable change needed to prevent violence against women, discrete programs are not sufficient on their own. This level of change warrants a coordinated, long-term approach based on multiple, mutually reinforcing efforts, and the creation of strong foundations, including the necessary systems, processes, activities, strategies and leadership to support ongoing and comprehensive action on violence against women. Prevention infrastructure can be described as the essential foundations that enable prevention efforts to be most effective and impactful, and to ensure that they lead to sustained long-term social and systemic change. Drawing on international reviews and focusing on the critical role of governments in building, investing in and supporting prevention efforts, this poster presentation will outline eight key elements of effective primary prevention infrastructure (i.e., sustained political leadership; policy, regulatory and legislative reform; mechanisms for coordination, collaboration and quality assurance; mechanisms for workforce and sector development; strong evidence base, informed by ongoing data collection, research, practice and evaluation; monitoring and reporting mechanisms; private sector, civil society and community leadership; and a well-resourced, independent women’s sector). It will then provide an update on Australia’s progress and gaps in the development of primary prevention infrastructure since the release of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032.