FEAT, QCDFVR to tackle Townsville domestic, family violence
A Townsville community group that supports families battling homelessness says new research into DV screening tools could save lives.
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A Townsville community group that supports families battling homelessness says new research into domestic and family violence screening tools could help to save lives and better protect front-line staff.
Family Emergency Accommodation Townsville CEO Mandy Thompson, in announcing a new partnership with CQUniversity’s Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, said screening tools were often used as a checklist for workers to identify the risk of DV or DVF, or those allegedly committing violence.
She said there was no consistency between different states and territories, particularly within the housing and homelessness sectors.
“Right now, there is a gap in appropriate risk-assessment tools available to the housing and homelessness sector that can sometimes lead to violence going unnoticed,” she said.
“We want to better equip our staff with the tools they need to protect not only themselves but also the families we work alongside.”
Housing and homelessness services are often the first place victim-survivors flee to.
FEAT worked with 1086 Townsville families in the 2024 financial year, where it is estimated that a minimum of 60 per cent had experienced domestic or family violence.
The partnership was prompted by findings from a recent CQUniversity study that revealed that social workers and front-line staff often faced challenges in applying risk-assessment tools consistently.
CQU Lecturer in Psychology Rebecca Wilcoxson said that while many practitioners were committed to supporting vulnerable individuals, they were frequently under-resourced and required additional training in identifying and responding to risk in complex domestic and family violence cases.
“Community workers employed by housing and homelessness services will likely need to perform screening for DFV – our research uncovered that risk assessment tools, although essential, are not always tailored to the unique context of homelessness services,” Dr Wilcoxson said.
“These services provide housing and support to people in highly vulnerable, crisis-driven situations, making it critical that assessments are accurate, culturally appropriate and responsive to real-world pressures faced by staff.”
Ms Thompson said both FEAT and QCDFVR had committed to working together with the aim of producing research that leads to real-world impact.
“As domestic and family violence continues to be a leading cause of homelessness, particularly for women and children, this partnership marks an important step towards safer, more responsive and better-supported services across Queensland and beyond.”
May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month.
QPS on Thursday said it was embedding DFV specialists in its stations to help break down barriers and provide more “trauma-informed support for victim-survivors”.
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Originally published as FEAT, QCDFVR to tackle Townsville domestic, family violence
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