Are you affected by family violence?
Relationships Australia Victoria is not a crisis service. If you feel unsafe right now, please call 000 (triple zero) immediately. If you need housing or other family violence support, please call Safe Steps (Victoria) 24/7 on 1800 015 188.
Everyone has the right to feel safe and free from abuse and violence in their relationships.
We recognise the complexities of family violence, including living in fear and intimidation, and its impacts.
We provide a range of services for people affected by family violence including family violence counselling, support for children and young people, and women's support groups.
Knowing how important it is to provide integrated, cohesive family violence services, we have also developed a Family Safety Model for working with the family members of clients in our men's family violence programs.
What is family violence?
Family violence (domestic violence) is not just physical assault. It also refers to a range of power and control behaviours which may include:
- direct or indirect threats
- fear and intimidation
- sexual assault
- emotional and psychological torment
- financial control
- social isolation
- pet abuse and threats of harm
- monitoring and surveillance of movement and social life
- spiritual and religious abuse
- coercive control
- manipulative behaviours such as gaslighting (making you question your perception of reality)
- other behaviours that cause you to live in fear.
Family violence affects people of every community, age, gender and sexual preference throughout Australia. While family violence can happen in many different family relationships, it is overwhelmingly women and children who are affected by violence, and men who use it.
It’s important to seek support and help for family violence, as it has significant psychological, emotional, and physical impacts on those who are directly affected by abuse and on those who witness the violence.
Find out how we can provide help if you are experiencing family violence and how our services can support you.
Family violence counselling
We're funded to provide free family violence counselling for people aged 16 and up with a connection to any of the following local government areas: City of Boroondara, Shire of Cardinia, City of Casey, Greater Dandenong City, City of Manningham, City of Melbourne, or the City of Monash.
bRAVe Steps
We provide a free therapeutic service in Cranbourne, Sunshine and Shepparton, for children and young people aged 0-18 who are impacted by family violence.
Women's support groups
We offer a variety of free programs where women can connect with each other and be supported to heal and move into the future with confidence.
Family Safety Model
Our Family Safety Model is used in our men’s behaviour change and men’s case management programs for men who use family violence.
Knowing how important it is to provide integrated, cohesive family violence services, we have developed a Family Safety Model for working with our clients’ partners, former partners and children who are affected by family violence.
It is also embedded in our family dispute resolution (FDR) services at our Kew Centre and Melbourne Family Relationship Centres. This enables us to support families impacted by family violence and other complex issues, who would otherwise not be able to participate in FDR.
All men in these programs are allocated a specialist family safety practitioner.
This practitioner prioritises the safety of the partners, former partners, children and family members of these clients by providing key safety elements.
These include:
- safety, risk and needs assessment for all family members
- identification of when additional support is needed
- referrals to relevant Relationships Australia Victoria services
- referrals to other support services, including housing, mental health, drug and alcohol, cultural and legal support services.
