VU23650 - Identify and respond to family violence risk

Students will also be expected to demonstrate the following knowledge:
• Professional obligations and responsibilities (as they relate to own work role and level of MARAM responsibility) under:

• Victoria’s Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM Framework)
• Relevant information sharing laws and regulations that apply in Victoria; including the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) and Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS)
  • Basic understanding of other MARAM responsibilities and levels of assessment and management under the MARAM Framework
  • Relevant aspects of the Family Violence Protection Act (2008)
  • Key components of family violence identification and response as outlined in the MARAM Framework, including:
• safe engagement approaches, family violence identification strategies and contributing to coordinated risk assessment and management
• basic safety planning
• identification of family violence risk and response options with adults using family violence
• when and how to ask questions safely to identify family violence using the MARAM practice guidance and Identification Tools
• use and purpose of MARAM Identification Tools and resources that are appropriate to the individual
• warm referrals, information sharing and secondary consultation
• collaboration for ongoing risk assessment and management
• what constitutes risk-relevant information
• MARAM Framework’s model of Structured Professional Judgement, including an understanding of how it is applied in practice to support family violence identification and response
• intersectionality and intersectional analysis
  • Concepts, nature and dynamics of family violence, including:
• forms of family violence as defined in section 5 of the Family Violence Protection Act (2008)
• definition of family violence and understanding of family within Aboriginal communities, as defined by Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way: Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families
• observable signs, indicators, common presentations, narratives and behaviours that relate to a wide range of relationship types, identities, and communities (including Aboriginal people and people from diverse communities) that indicate:

  current experience of family violence
  past experience of family violence
  current use of family violence
  past use of family violence

• experiences of family violence across a wide range of relationship types, identities, and communities (including Aboriginal people and people from diverse communities)
• victim survivors are not responsible for family violence, their self-assessment of risk is central, and their safety decisions need to be respected
• harmful social norms and beliefs that support and validate sexual violence and family violence
• adults using family violence narratives and behaviours, including:

  common attitudes that indicate support for use of family violence behaviours including denying, minimising, justifying and blaming/externalising of responsibility
  a basic understanding of the common emotions and thought patterns in relation to the use of violence and engagement with the service
  observable narratives and behaviours that indicate or disclose use of family violence

• prevalence of family violence and sexual assault, and their cooccurrence
• gendered nature and drivers of family violence and violence against women and children, including contributing beliefs, attitudes and norms
• potential barriers to disclosure and service access for victim survivors and adults using family violence who are Aboriginal people and people from diverse communities
  • Family violence risk and risk factors, including:
• evidence based risk factors and levels of family violence risk
• dynamic nature of risk (and therefore the need to monitor risk levels over time)
• the risk associated with misidentification of victim survivors and adults using violence (predominant aggressor)
• risks to victim survivors’ safety when engaging/challenging adults using family violence
• specific family violence risk indicators for children and young people
• specific family violence risk indicators for Aboriginal people and people from diverse communities
  • How to identify the support needs and circumstances of victim survivors and adults who use family violence
  • The purpose of collaborative case management and coordinated multiagency responses to family violence
  • Strategies and techniques for:
• centring the lived experience and risk of the victim-survivor throughout:

  identification of family violence risk
  engagement with victim survivors and adults using family violence
  contribution to collaborative risk assessment and management

• respectful, sensitive and safe engagement
• engaging victim survivors using a person-centred approach
• talking to a child victim survivor about their parent, carer or other family member who is a person using family violence determining if a child or young person victim survivor can be engaged directly, or a parent/guardian/advocate should be the source of relevant information
• engaging with adults using family violence, including:

  person-in-context approach
  keeping the adult using family violence in view and accountable

• safe and non-collusive practice, including safely resisting invitations by adult using family violence to collude
• trauma and violence-informed practice
  • How to provide an appropriate, accessible and culturally responsive environment
  • The unique status and experiences of Aboriginal communities as First Nations people, including ongoing impacts of colonisation, systemic violence and discrimination
  • Engagement approaches for individuals who are Aboriginal people or people from diverse communities
  • Signs of vicarious trauma from engaging with victim survivors and adults using family violence
  • Sources of wellbeing resources, supports and professional advice
  • Practitioners and services involved with multi-agency responses to family violence relevant to workplace or location of individual accessing the service
  • Referral pathways, specific service options and other appropriate targeted or therapeutic services to meet the ongoing needs of:
• Victim survivors (including children and young people)
• Adults using family violence
  • Strategies and approaches for obtaining informed consent
  • When consent is and is not required for information sharing and referrals
  • Appropriate responses where victim survivors are at serious and immediate risk and threat of harm from family violence, including:
• Notifying police
• Making a report to Child Protection (where children are involved)
• Contacting the local specialist family violence services, based on the victim survivor’s current place of residence
  • Safe recording and documenting procedures that avoid increase of risk for victim survivors.