ACT Government, Community Services Directorate, 2023-24

The objective

Review the crisis response to domestic, family and sexual violence in the ACT considering the current system against best practice and the aspirations and experiences of victim survivors.

Role we played

This was done in the context of a complex and sensitive service delivery and reform environment, with no simple solutions. SVA was required to be analytical and structured as well as highly consultative, adjusting to incorporate diverse perspectives and managing stakeholder expectations.

The overall approach included a combination of extensive stakeholder interviews (~40 interviews), consultation with victim survivors (~25 interviews), analysis of service data provided by specialist services, and documentation of best practices.

The review entailed:

• Undertaking an initial scoping exercise to identify key issues and focus areas.
• Conducting a series of interviews with relevant stakeholders working across domestic, family and sexual violence sectors in the ACT, as well as experts in other jurisdictions.
• Designing and undertaking consultation with victim survivors, including securing approval from a Human Resources Ethics Committee.
• Analysis of performance, operational and financial data provided by crisis response providers.
• Using research and data to develop an evidence-based driver tree for best practice crisis response and assessing the current services and system against best practice.
• Preparing a consolidated set of findings and recommendations for the crisis response services, the ACT government and the broader system.

Our impact

The review provided a set of clear recommendations on opportunities to improve crisis response services for victim survivors in the ACT.

An executive summary is available: Review of Sexual Violence and Domestic and Family Violence Crisis Response Services in the ACT