Supporting victim survivors to stay in their homes

The Personal Safety Initiative (PSI) is a non-crisis program that uses safety and security measures to help victim survivors to remain safely at home, deter breaches of intervention orders and support evidence collection to hold perpetrators accountable. Rather than expecting victim survivors to relocate, the PSI focuses on strengthening safety and security where victim survivors live. “Women shouldn’t have to leave their homes or their communities,” Gen says. “They should be able to stay, especially when they’re caring for children.”

Gen coordinates a highly specialised response. This can include installing CCTV and sensor lighting, coordinating bug sweeps of homes and vehicles, checking for tracking devices or dash cams, and arranging forensic sweeps of mobile phones for spyware. Importantly, the technology used must meet a high evidentiary standard. “The goal is accountability,” Gen explains. “The main focus is to capture evidence that can be used in court if an intervention order is breached.”

But the PSI is not about installing cameras by default. Assessing eligibility and suitability is a critical part of Gen’s role. She works closely with family violence practice workers to identify the specific risks each victim survivor is facing and whether PSI would meaningfully reduce those risks. “If a person using violence doesn’t know where the victim survivor is living, cameras might not make sense,” she says. “But if there’s a pattern of him tracking her down, then we think more broadly about what could help.”

Strict criteria apply. Generally, the victim survivor and person using violence cannot be living together, and a full exclusion intervention order must be in place. There are limited exceptions, where an intervention order could escalate risk. “The victim survivor also has to be prepared to report breaches,” Gen notes. “That’s not easy, and it’s something we talk through carefully.”

Gen is clear that cameras alone do not keep women safe. PSI always includes a security assessment of the home, along with safety and support planning. However, the presence of high-quality security measures can deter breaches, particularly when the person using violence would have their employment or freedom seriously affected through criminal convictions.

Since PSI began in 2017, Gen has seen the program evolve alongside broader system changes. The current housing crisis has made it much harder for women and children to relocate, increasing demand for support to remain safely at home. New funding is currently being trialled, allowing faster access to smaller interventions, such as phone or vehicle sweeps, without the full PSI process.

“It’s incredibly empowering for women to take control of their homes,” Gen says. “Many never thought they’d be able to do that.” Still, the injustice lingers. “It makes me angry when women and children experience such upheaval, but it’s happening far less often. It’s more common for the person using violence to be excluded from the home. This used to be the exception rather than the norm and it’s great to see this progress.”