Family violence is the leading cause of homelessness in Australia; and with soaring rents, low vacancy rates, interest rate rises and housing affordability at an all-time low, we know the situation is only getting harder for women and children seeking safety, wellbeing and a life free from violence.

The choice to stay in a violent relationship, or face homelessness is no choice at all. Yet for people experiencing family violence, it is often one they are forced to make.

Nationally, two in five people facing housing insecurity and requiring specialist housing support were experiencing family violence: 90 per cent of those seeking specialist homelessness support services were women and children.[1]

At CNV, our clients consistently tell us that one of the driving factors that inform their decision-making on whether to leave or stay is the risk of homelessness. In 2023-2024, 40 per cent of CNV clients identified housing as a safety priority.[2]

It is simply unacceptable that our governments have been unwilling to prioritise the investment and legislative needed to keep families in safe and affordable housing.

CNV alone provided 16,944 nights of crisis and emergency accommodation to victim survivors (including children) in 2023-2024. We know that demand is increasing and has significantly outpaced availability of crisis and emergency accommodation.

It is inexcusable that specialist family violence and housing services are forced to turn victim survivors away, including children, from desperately needed housing support, because there is nowhere for them to go.

It is also lamentable that when we speak of ‘crisis accommodation’, what it often means are motel rooms.  With little option but to place those escaping family violence in small, often cramped motel rooms, with little to no access to cooking facilities or any safe spaces for children to play.

Victim survivors require better, and more targeted responses to crisis, emergency and transitional housing. The use of hotels and motels is not a viable, safe or financially sustainable option – and the sector’s over-reliance on the private hotel and motel industry to provide emergency accommodation to some of our most vulnerable community members is simply not appropriate.

Within this context, we must address the gendered drivers of violence against women and girls, children and diverse communities through effective policy and project development.

This requires significant systems change in addressing racism and discrimination. We know that our legal and government systems are not always working towards equality, and to reduce the number of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, we must begin to dismantle barriers to equality and justice through targeted legislative reform.

We know what is needed to improve safety and give victim survivors a real choice to safely leave a violent relationship. At a minimum, this includes:

• At least 83,000 new dwellings for victim survivors over the next 25 years in Victoria;
• Increased investment in specialist family violence and homelessness services;
• An immediate increase to purpose-built crisis accommodation right across the country;
• Targeted prevention to reduce the risk of homelessness for people who are more vulnerable to becoming homeless.

We call on all levels of government to address major drivers of homelessness across the population, including racism and discrimination, the adequacy and security of income support, people’s access to affordable housing and importantly safety and wellbeing.

A safe, affordable, and decent home for our clients is the foundation for a safe, nourished life free from family violence. We know that an absence of safe, affordable housing options increases the likelihood of victim survivors remaining with a violent perpetrator.

A choice between facing homelessness or risking a return to the home of the perpetrator is no choice at all.

Every person should have the right to a safe place to call home.

[1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2025). Specialist homelessness services annual report 2023–24. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/homelessness-services/specialist-homelessness-services-annual-report [accessed: 13 August 2025]

[2] Centre for Non-Violence. (2024). Annual Report 2023-2024. Retrieved from https://www.cnv.org.au/about/publications/ [accessed 13 August 2025]

Children are victim survivors in their own right. We know that family violence has significant impacts on children, young people and babies, even before they are born.

The changing paradigm echoes new research and understanding that places children at the forefront of family violence, rather than the periphery. We now understand so much more about the profound impacts of violence on children and young people than we ever have before. Importantly, we know that these impacts extend far beyond the immediate harm, and can include long-term effects on relationships, education, health, and wellbeing.

The most recent crime statistics (2023-2024) for Greater Bendigo show that children were present in 36% of family violence incidents attended by police. Of the 2,589 family violence incidents that police attended, there were children present at 932 of these.  We also note that family violence continues to be significantly unreported, and these figures only represent incidents where police were present.[1]

The signs are often subtle: clinginess in a toddler, aggression in a school-aged child, anxiety in a teen. These behaviours may be misunderstood or dismissed as “just a phase,” but for children experiencing family violence, they are symptoms of deep, invisible wounds. A baby who cannot sleep, a child who lashes out at classmates, a teenager who disengages from school—these are not isolated behavioural issues. They are often desperate expressions of trauma.

Family violence doesn’t only happen in the shadows. Its ripple effects can be found in classrooms, in doctors’ offices, and in playgrounds. The impacts on children are not just emotional or social, they are physical, neurological, and long-lasting. Research shows that trauma from family violence can disrupt brain development and trigger a chronic stress response in children. This can impair their ability to learn, manage emotions, and build healthy relationships, with consequences that can stretch across their lifespan.[2]

Importantly, the presence of family violence in a child’s life doesn’t always look like bruises or shouting. It can be the gnawing tension of unpredictable moods, the absence of a parent too emotionally depleted to engage, or the fear of becoming the next target. A child may be used as a pawn or blamed as a cause. Even if they are not the direct focus of abuse, children absorb its impacts: through missed milestones, illness, self-harm, or risky behaviours. These are not acts of rebellion.

They are calls for help.

ANROWS CEO Tessa Boyd has stated:

“Too often, children and young people’s experiences of violence are invisible in policy and practice. This guide reminds us that they are not just ‘witnesses’ but victims and survivors in their own right. Their voices, strengths, and needs must shape the systems designed to protect them. Ending violence requires us all to commit to policies that are informed by the lived realities of children and young people experiencing violence in their homes.”[3] Yet despite growing evidence, our systems are still catching up. The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence revealed that around 80% of child protection cases involve family violence, a figure that is now believed to be even higher. This isn’t just a child protection issue, it’s a community crisis. And it demands that we see children not as secondary victims, but as victim survivors in their own right.

To truly support these children, we must centre their voices and experiences in every aspect of our response. That means going beyond blanket solutions. It requires recognition that children and young people experience unique risk factors.

Dr Georgena Dimopoulos, a leading socio-legal scholar on children’s rights and participation in family law, says “There is no ‘one size fits all’.”[4] A child’s safety isn’t just about locks on doors, it’s about emotional stability, routine, connection, and hope. Children must be given the chance to tell their stories, to identify what makes them feel safe, and to help shape the systems designed to protect them.

What to do – how you can help:

• Listen – if a child makes a disclosure to you listen to what they are saying.   Hearing a child’s voice is important in supporting them through family violence.
• Observe/take notes – if you have concerns around a child, take notes of this, document your concerns – this can help if you need to make a report or a referral for a child
• Act –
  • if a child is at imminent risk from family violence call police – 000
  • if you believe a child is at serious/immediate risk from family violence you can make a report to Child Protection.  Reporter details are kept confidential.  – Child protection contacts – DFFH Services
  • for a secondary consult or if you are unsure if you need to make a report to Child Protection you can contact your local Orange Door – Support near you | orangedoor.vic.gov.au
  • link victim/survivors or People Using Violence with support from the following services – Family violence statewide support services | vic.gov.au
• Partner – even if you’ve made a report or referral for a family, it is important that you continue to provide both the child and their protective parent with support.  This could include, safety planning, emotional support, check ins etc.

[1] Crime Statistics Agency, December 2024, Family Violence Dashboard, https://www.crimestatistics.vic.gov.au/family-violence-data/family-violence-dashboard

[2] Safe and Equal, Supporting children and young people, Retrieved 5 August 2025,

https://safeandequal.org.au/working-in-family-violence/tailored-inclusive-support/children-and-young-people/

[3] Gillfeather-Spetere, S., & Watson, A. (2024). In their own right: Actions to improve children and young people’s safety from domestic, family and sexual violence (ANROWS Insights, 01/2024). ANROWS.

[4] Southern Cross University, August 2024, Victoria’s family violence system is failing children: new report, Retrieved 5 August 2025, https://www.scu.edu.au/news/2024/family-violence-system-in-victoria/

Our integrated teams work collaboratively to assess risk and tailor support using the MARAM framework: Victoria’s best practice model for family violence risk assessment and management. Within each team, specialists share critical information, plan jointly, and provide individualised responses to meet the complex needs of those affected by violence.  

The seeds of this integrated model were sown in 2005 when CNV began delivering men’s behaviour change programs. Around that time, we were considering how integrated responses could support improved outcomes for victim survivors and hold those using violence accountable. We recognised that fragmented services often failed to deliver lasting safety or accountability. This marked the start of a shift towards more connected service responses.

We undertook study tours abroad to explore international best practice. In the US, the Duluth Integrated Model offered valuable insights into coordinated perpetrator interventions. In the Netherlands, we observed a team-based approach where practitioners worked collectively with entire families: victim survivors (adults and children) to deliver coordinated and holistic support and response.   These international learnings inspired us to take bold steps toward full integration.

By 2009, CNV began implementing an integrated model, officially finalising it by 2011-2012. This approach was the first of its kind in Victoria, and possibly Australia. We approached the transition cautiously, due to limitations in information sharing laws and sector concerns, and developed strict protocols to manage safety and risk responsibly. Despite early scepticism, we proved that integrated, accountable, and safe systems could be developed and implemented effectively.

The late Hon. Fiona Richardson MP, then Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence, visited CNV during this period. Deeply impressed, she championed the model as the “gold star” approach to meeting the needs of victim survivors. The Royal Commission into Family Violence heard repeatedly about the need for stronger coordination and integration of systems and recommended the establishment of The Orange Door network: statewide safety and support hubs.  The hubs echo our integrated philosophy by bringing together child and family services, specialist family violence support, Aboriginal services, and child protection.

Today, the integrated practice model continues to reflect our founding vision, and we are continually working to strengthen and improve our approach and impact. The development of the model is a powerful example of what is possible with innovation, collaboration, and a deep commitment to safety and accountability.

At CNV, we have been taking small but intentional steps on this path for some time. In 2024, we published our first Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which outlines the next chapter of this journey.

Less than a year since our RAP was launched, some key projects and changes are already well underway. Our internal advisory committee – Ngladurrung Yanagyu – meaning walking together in Djaara language, was established early on to bring staff along the journey. This is crucial to bringing employees up to speed and moving from staff participation to endorsement and ownership.

One of the first actions was amending our Enterprise Bargaining Agreement so employees can opt to work on Invasion Day (January 26). This symbolic change enables staff to take a different day off in lieu, which shifts the focus from a day of celebration, to one of mourning and reflection, 32 staff opted to utilise this provision in the first year it was enacted.

A more long-term focus has been building and nurturing a culture of learning and self-reflection. This is a key part of staff orientation and carries through into ongoing systems, communications and external partnerships. The main focus is to educate staff, encourage self-reflection, and address underlying racism.

An important driver in these changes has been support at all levels of the organisation, with the work very much driven by CNV’s Board of Management. The Board developed and endorsed CNV’s Commitment to First Nations Peoples in May 2023, and are strong advocates for the RAP.

Margaret Augerinos, CEO of CNV, highlights how shifting workplace culture and attitudes is cornerstone in the RAP.

“A RAP is not just in the doing, it’s the changing of organisational culture so that we don’t have to think about these things, so that it’s already embedded in policies and processes,” she says.

Another key focus is building self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Wherever possible, we are engaging with First Nations owned businesses, from catering to printing and everything in between. A directory has been established to highlight key opportunities to work with local Aboriginal businesses and suppliers.

CNV participated in the Workplace Reconciliation Barometer (WRB) Survey. A biennial, nation-wide survey that looks at the attitudes towards and perceptions of reconciliation among employees of RAP organisations. Overall, we had positive results and important feedback on how to drive our reconciliation journey. The findings showed our staff’s commitment to participating in truth-telling activities (92%), 100% had participated in a National Reconciliation Event in 2024 and 68% view CNV has genuine and strong commitment towards reconciliation. This has been supported by CNV taking steps to create a more welcoming and culturally safe environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, whilst also providing a space that supports staff learning, engagement and capacity building. This includes purchasing maps of First Nations lands and creating acknowledgement of country cards.

Moving forward we will continue to focus on building relationships with external stakeholders who are allies in reconciliation and community. This helps us to listen to and be led by First Nations voices, which is a crucial part of reconciliation. CNV a member of the Bendigo Reconciliation and Allyship Committee and has developed an action plan to drive key actions in the region at an individual, community and organisational level over the next 5 years.