Choose Change: Meeting a Gap to Engage People Who Use Violence and Abuse
Tracks
Monarch Room - In Person
| Wednesday, November 30, 2022 |
| 2:10 PM - 2:30 PM |
Overview
Tucker Christou, Communicare
Speaker
Mr Tucker Christou
Family Safety Services Lead
Communicare
Choose Change: Meeting a Gap to Engage People Who Use Violence and Abuse
Abstract
Communicare delivers Choose Change, an early intervention family and domestic violence and abuse (FDVA) behaviour change program, in collaboration with the Family and Domestic Violence Response Team (FDVRT) of the Armadale Police District.
Choose Change was implemented in response to high volumes of Domestic Violence Incident Reports (DVIRs) in Armadale that focused resources on severe, high-level offenders.
Choose Change addresses a gap by engaging low-level perpetrators before patterns of violence and abuse escalate. An external evaluation concluded the service effectively engages target cohorts, particularly CaLD men. Participants demonstrated increased awareness of FDVA and of impacts on children, women and men. Reductions in police contact for participants were observed and Armadale Police District reported a 15.6% reduction in DVIRs.
These outcomes underpin the significance of providing a range of interventions for people who use violence to increase accountability and address the variety of ways violence and abuse may manifest.
Choose Change was implemented in response to high volumes of Domestic Violence Incident Reports (DVIRs) in Armadale that focused resources on severe, high-level offenders.
Choose Change addresses a gap by engaging low-level perpetrators before patterns of violence and abuse escalate. An external evaluation concluded the service effectively engages target cohorts, particularly CaLD men. Participants demonstrated increased awareness of FDVA and of impacts on children, women and men. Reductions in police contact for participants were observed and Armadale Police District reported a 15.6% reduction in DVIRs.
These outcomes underpin the significance of providing a range of interventions for people who use violence to increase accountability and address the variety of ways violence and abuse may manifest.
Biography
Tucker Christou is the Family Safety Services Lead at Communicare, overseeing the delivery of six programs involving family safety, family and domestic violence and abuse (FDVA) and behaviour change, including the Choose Change program.
Tucker is a Graduate in Clinical and Pastoral Counselling from Glasgow Caledonian University, a member of the Australian Counselling Association College of Supervisors and an accredited Conflict Mediator.
He specialises in managing counsellors providing supports for alcohol and drug usage as well as behaviour change facilitators engaging people who use violence. This includes services targeting people in court, prison and in the community.
