Family Violence Justice Project

The Family Violence Justice Project was piloted in 2019 in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Family Violence (RCFV) which identified that criminalised women experience high rates of family violence yet have very poor engagement with the service system. Family Safety Victoria (FSV) funds Flat Out to undertake this project with the aim of improving the accessibility and responsiveness of the service system for women who are criminalised and experiencing family violence. Flat Out developed a dedicated role in partnership with FSV to lead the project across the following key domains:

• Professional Education and Community Development

• Relationships and Partnerships

• Policy and Advocacy; and

• Data and Evaluation

• Relationships and Partnerships

Flat Out aims to improve the accessibility and responsiveness of the service system to women who are criminalised and experiencing family violence, or who are at risk of experiencing family violence. Women who have been criminalised require a specialised approach for service delivery based on their particular social and individual circumstances. Most criminalised women experience multiple forms of discrimination stemming not only from their criminalisation but also from their over-representation as Aboriginal or CALD women, as women with mental health and/or drug and alcohol issues, and women with disabilities.