Monash University report: Family violence victims let down support services

Traumatised kids are feeling overlooked and silenced by family violence support services, prompting calls for a system overhaul.

A new report by Monash University has found young family violence victims feel let down by support services.

Responses to the family ­violence crisis fail vulnerable children, who feel “invisible and unheard” when seeking help from support services, a new report has detailed.

The “I believe you” report produced by Monash University reveals the youngest victims of domestic violence are often made to feel overlooked and silenced when opening up about their trauma to support services and the justice system.

Domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, whose son Luke was murdered by his dad, said the research proved children must be given voices on important reform, adding that services needed to view kids as individuals.

“It’s become increasingly recognised that we are continuing to fail children, we are letting them down, and that is unacceptable with where we are now,” Ms Batty told the Herald Sun. “If we genuinely want to see family violence reduced and eliminated in a generation, we have to understand that what’s really evident is that children need to be treated as individuals.

“They need to feel validated and believed, and not dismissed or minimised with their experiences.”

Domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty said kids needed to be given voices on reform. Picture: Josie Hayden

The report, by Monash University’s Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre director Kate Fitz-Gibbon, highlighted the need for practitioners to offer individual, trauma-informed and age-­appropriate supports when dealing with young people.

One young person who took part in the study recounted feeling invalidated when he ought help.

“(It felt) like my story wasn’t being fully heard … I got the impression … they’ve heard this sort of thing before, my story isn’t unique,” he said.

“But we victim-survivors’ stories are unique and they’re completely different, and no one’s is the same. It is invalidating, having someone pre-empt a story that I know better than anyone.”

Another victim said workers on the frontline were often “desensitised” to the horrors of family violence.

“This was the worst thing that I had ever gone through, but for them, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, but I talked to someone yesterday that experienced a lot worse’ … they hear it every day,” she said.

“They hear stories. But for me this is real, and this is what I’m going through.”

Professor Fitz-Gibbon said the stories highlighted the need for training and increased resources to ensure practitioners were equipped with specialist knowledge to better help children.

“As Victoria progresses its family violence reform agenda, it is vitally important that the views and expertise of young victim-survivors are drawn upon to influence policy and practice design,” she said.

Ms Batty said it was time for children to get seats at tables where decisions were made.