Safe, Strong and Connected: Providing Specialist Family Violence Support in the Women's Prison System
Tracks
Ballroom 3: In-Person Only
| Wednesday, November 25, 2026 |
| 9:20 AM - 9:40 AM |
Overview
Sophie Kedzior, Good Shepherd ANZ
Three Key Learnings
1. Prison can be a critical intervention point for family violence support. Custody can create a rare opportunity for women to engage safely with support services, often for the first time.
2. Continuity of care after release is essential to long-term safety and recovery
3. Specialist, integrated and flexible approaches are key to effective practice. Effective responses rely on collaboration across housing, legal, mental health, family services, and corrections systems.
Speaker
Dr Sophie Kedzior
Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst
Good Shepherd ANZ
Safe, Strong and Connected: providing specialist family violence support in the women’s prison system
Presentation Overview
A high proportion of women in prison have experienced emotional, sexual, and/or physical abuse from a previous or current partner. Women who are incarcerated are especially vulnerable to the consequences of family violence, with a cyclical nature of family violence and incarceration commonly experienced.
Safe, Strong and Connected is a specialist family violence program delivered in two Victorian women’s prisons since 2020. The program provides tailored one-on-one support and group psychoeducation for women in custody who have experienced family violence, and training for corrections staff on family violence.
In late 2025, a mixed-methods evaluation was undertaken to assess the implementation and impact of Safe, Strong, and Connected. The evaluation included a cohort file review to identify the program reach and support provided, interviews with women about their experiences of the program and their post-release needs, a survey of corrections staff on their experience of family violence training, and interviews with SSC staff on the processes and challenges delivering the program.
Key findings indicate that Safe, Strong and Connected reaches women at serious risk of family violence with complex needs, improving their knowledge and access to information. Prison provides a critical opportunity for safety and coordinated, wraparound support. Specialist family violence practitioners underpin this impact, offering validation, education, and practical assistance including safety planning. However, post-release transition represents a high-risk gap, with women frequently exiting custody into uncertainty. Limited access to appropriate accommodation is a major barrier to long term safety and recovery.
There is an opportunity to scale this program across other prisons while maintaining its core client‑centred, strengths‑based and trauma‑informed principles. Future investment should strengthen continuity of care, ensuring women receive coordinated pre‑ and post‑release support, with integrated housing and community services to sustain safety, stability, and recovery.
Safe, Strong and Connected is a specialist family violence program delivered in two Victorian women’s prisons since 2020. The program provides tailored one-on-one support and group psychoeducation for women in custody who have experienced family violence, and training for corrections staff on family violence.
In late 2025, a mixed-methods evaluation was undertaken to assess the implementation and impact of Safe, Strong, and Connected. The evaluation included a cohort file review to identify the program reach and support provided, interviews with women about their experiences of the program and their post-release needs, a survey of corrections staff on their experience of family violence training, and interviews with SSC staff on the processes and challenges delivering the program.
Key findings indicate that Safe, Strong and Connected reaches women at serious risk of family violence with complex needs, improving their knowledge and access to information. Prison provides a critical opportunity for safety and coordinated, wraparound support. Specialist family violence practitioners underpin this impact, offering validation, education, and practical assistance including safety planning. However, post-release transition represents a high-risk gap, with women frequently exiting custody into uncertainty. Limited access to appropriate accommodation is a major barrier to long term safety and recovery.
There is an opportunity to scale this program across other prisons while maintaining its core client‑centred, strengths‑based and trauma‑informed principles. Future investment should strengthen continuity of care, ensuring women receive coordinated pre‑ and post‑release support, with integrated housing and community services to sustain safety, stability, and recovery.
Biography
Dr Sophie Kedzior is a Senior Research and Evaluation Analyst at Good Shepherd ANZ. She is a mixed-methods researcher, and prior to moving to the Not-For-Profit sector, worked in academia in the UK and Australia.
Sophie's research background spans public health, social care, education and psychology. Sophie believes that research, evaluation, and services should be shaped and guided by the communities they are intended to support.
