PLENARY SESSION: Keeping Children Visible
| Wednesday, December 1, 2021 |
| 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
Overview
11:00am - 11:30am Keynote 3: Children Affected by Family Violence in Australia
Ms Anne Hollonds, National Children's Commissoner (VIRTUAL)
11:30am - 12:00pm Keynote 4: Implementing the Safe & Together Model in Australia: Creating real change
Mr David Mandel, MA, LPC, Executive Director, Safe & Together Institute (VIRTUAL)
Speaker
Ms Anne Hollonds
Children’s Commissioner
Australian Human Rights Commission
PLENARY SESSION: Keeping Children Visable
Biography
Anne Hollonds is Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner. Formerly Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, for 23 years Anne was Chief Executive of government and non-government organisations focussed on research, policy and practice in child and family wellbeing. As a psychologist Anne has worked extensively in frontline practice, including child protection, domestic and family violence, mental health, child and family counselling, parenting education, family law counselling, and community development. Anne has two small grandchildren.
David Mandel
MA, LPC, Executive Director
Safe & Together Institute
PLENARY SESSION: Keeping Children Visible
Abstract
Keynote - Implementing the Safe & Together Model in Australia: Creating real change (VIRTUAL)
In this keynote, David Mandel, the creator of the Safe & Together Model, will provide an overview of the Model's paradigm shifting approach to the response of systems to domestic violence and children. The Safe & Together Institute's framework for domestic violence-informed systems change is widely used across the globe and by diverse government and NGO agencies across Australia. The Safe & Together Model's perpetrator pattern-based approach helps identify harm to child, partner and family functioning; supports partnering with survivors; and interventions with perpetrators as parent. Applicable across sectors, the Model is being used by addiction, child protection, mental health, specialist family violence, and child/family agencies including NSW Ministry of Health and multiple state child protection agencies. It has been the focus of numerous ANROWs funded research projects led by Professor Cathy Humphreys. The Institute supports a growing number of Certified Trainers who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Multiple Safe & Model trainings have been delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island practitioners and agencies like the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency. In the last year, David & his team have provided extensive training and consultation to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on domestic violence, custody and access. This work has included training for judges, registrars, and evaluators, and feedback on screening and practice guidance.
In this keynote, David Mandel, the creator of the Safe & Together Model, will provide an overview of the Model's paradigm shifting approach to the response of systems to domestic violence and children. The Safe & Together Institute's framework for domestic violence-informed systems change is widely used across the globe and by diverse government and NGO agencies across Australia. The Safe & Together Model's perpetrator pattern-based approach helps identify harm to child, partner and family functioning; supports partnering with survivors; and interventions with perpetrators as parent. Applicable across sectors, the Model is being used by addiction, child protection, mental health, specialist family violence, and child/family agencies including NSW Ministry of Health and multiple state child protection agencies. It has been the focus of numerous ANROWs funded research projects led by Professor Cathy Humphreys. The Institute supports a growing number of Certified Trainers who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Multiple Safe & Model trainings have been delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island practitioners and agencies like the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency. In the last year, David & his team have provided extensive training and consultation to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on domestic violence, custody and access. This work has included training for judges, registrars, and evaluators, and feedback on screening and practice guidance.
Biography
With over almost 30 years’ experience in the domestic violence and child welfare fields, David and his Safe & Together Institute focus on improving systems' responses to domestic violence when children are involved. David has developed the Safe & Together™ Model to improve case practice and cross system collaboration in domestic violence cases involving children. He has identified how a perpetrator pattern-based approach can improve our ability to help families and promote the development of domestic violence-informed child welfare systems.
David and the Safe & Together Institute have worked with governments and NGOs in Canada, the US, Australia, Asia and United Kingdom. Through their live training, organizational consulting, elearning, and Trainer Certification and Partner Agency Program, the Safe & Together Institute provides organisations and systems with a wide range of tools to partner with adult and child survivors, and intervene with perpetrators. David hopes that his work ends the use of “failure to protect” mentality in domestic violence cases, and helps systems better work with complex cases involving mental health issues, substance misuse and domestic violence. Using an intersectional analysis, the Model is designed to be flexible and relevant across diverse situations.
David has written or co-written numerous journal articles, book chapters and white papers including his most recent ones on how perpetrator intervention program completion certificates can be dangerous for survivors, and on worker safety in the context of domestic violence. He is regularly part of research studies including Professor Cathy Humphreys’ recent series of Australian national research projects on intervening with perpetrators, and complex case practice.
