Frontline domestic violence workers to join taskforce to respond to high-risk home cases
FRONTLINE domestic violence workers will join a cross-government taskforce to respond to high-risk cases, in a $700,000 budget boost.
FRONTLINE domestic violence workers will join a cross-government taskforce to respond to high-risk cases, in a $700,000 budget boost.
A parliamentary committee recommended extra funding for the Multi-Agency Protection Service, which assesses as many as 460 cases of family violence each week.
Almost 10 per cent of those are deemed high-risk, involving someone in danger of serious injury or death.
Anti-violence campaigner Rosie Batty has praised the service, saying it could have better protected her and her son Luke, who was killed by his father. The model was an Australian first and has since been adopted interstate.
It brings together officials from police, corrections, health, education, child protection and housing agencies.
Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis said he would allocate $683,000 over the next four years to fund two positions on the taskforce for non-government crisis service workers.
The sector has been pushing for representation on the taskforce.
Central Domestic Violence Service executive director Maria Hagias said having a voice at the table would “expand and streamline information sharing, therefore enhancing our responses”.
SA Police refer cases to the taskforce.
Status of Women Minister Zoe Bettison said the crisis workers could provide information about the kinds of services people experiencing family violence could access before they called police for immediate help.