Men prone to violent behaviour will have access to therapy and accommodation while their families are supported to stay at home, under a new residential perpetrator program aimed at preventing domestic and family abuse.
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The innovative Room4Change therapeutic scheme to help men address violent and controlling behaviours is set to roll out in Canberra later this year.
The ACT's Domestic Violence Crisis Service and Connections ACT will operate the program with help from the ACT government's $21 million safer families package, funded by a $30 household levy, announced in this month's budget.
Domestic Violence Crisis Service executive director Mirjana Wilson said Room4Change would would help reduce the likelihood of men using violence against women and children and fill a significant gap in services in the ACT.
Domestic violence prevention advocates in the ACT have long called for more initiatives to support women and children staying in their own homes, as opposed to fleeing, when they experienced violence.
Ms Wilson, who is ACT Violence Prevention Woman of the Year, said DVCS had found 58 per cent of women and children became homeless within 12 months of leaving a controlling relationship.
The crisis service provided almost 1200 nights of emergency accommodation to families – mostly women and children – experiencing domestic and family violence this financial year.
"Domestic and family violence has a long-term impact on families and creates a huge social and financial cost to the community – it is directly linked to homelessness, trauma, substance abuse, poor health and a range of adverse outcomes for children.
"This desperately needed new program offers new supports and will work with all family members to prevent ongoing harm, while at the same time ensuring women and children are safe and have the option of staying at home."
Room4Change will be managed by DVCS and offer a three-month intensive residential program for men, support for women and children who stay home and up to nine months of outreach support once the program has been completed.
Ms Wilson said the program pulled together practices from residential perpetrator programs in Israel and Western Australia and tied into the national plan to reduce violence against women and children.
Under the initiative, existing public housing properties currently used by Connections ACT for men experiencing homelessness would be revamped to accommodate men who voluntarily opted in to the program.
The men in the accommodation would be offered support including group work, counselling and help with problems that could contribute to their violent behaviour such as employment, financial troubles or drug and alcohol abuse.
At the same time, their partners and children who remained in their communities would also be offered group work and counselling, support to make necessary financial and security arrangements, and help for children recovering from violence.
The program would also operate closely with police, courts and existing services that worked with men.
"All of the responses in the ACT have so far focused on women and children fleeing, and that is only one option, and I think it's only fair that there should be a suite of options that is offered," Ms Wilson said.
"The pressure on the refuge system and public housing system when women flee is simply not sustainable."
ACT Womens Minister Yvette Berry said residential perpetrator programs were a new frontier for the ACT government and the wraparound family support included in Room4Change would make it the second scheme of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
The program has been allocated $964,000 over three years and should start in October this year.
If you or someone you know is impacted by domestic or family violence, call the ACT Domestic Violence Crisis Service 24-hour crisis line on 6280 0900. In an emergency, call 000.
