Lara FergusDirector, Policy and EvaluationPresentation to the Building Leadership from where I Stand Forum26 August 2014

• A new national organisation to provide national leadership to prevent all forms of violence against women and their children.

• Created jointly by the Commonwealth and Victorian governments, with Northern Territory and South Australia governments joining in 2014. All States and Territories have been invited to join.

• But an NGO – at arm’s length from government.• Crosses party lines and jurisdictions to place addressing violence

against women at the top of the national agenda• Created out of, and with links to, the National Plan.

FOUNDATION TO PREVENT VIOLENCE against women and their children

• Formally established 26 July 2013.• Extensive national community consultation process with over 250 diverse

organisations participating. The process canvassed views through workshops, interviews, online surveys and written submissions.

• National leadership on thinking, advocacy and change including an address to the National Press Club.

• Northern Territory and South Australian Governments joined this year.• Signed a major partnership agreement with VicHealth.• Received an additional $3 million funding from the Victorian Government.• About to launch 5-year Strategic Plan.

Our first 12 months …

The Foundation’s role in the National Plan

• Important as first ever cross-jurisdictional and bipartisan shared commitment to the issue

• COAG policy (not federal govt alone)• 6 action areas – 2 focussed on primary prevention• Implemented through three-year action plans• First Action Plan now finished – included 1800 RESPECT hotline and The

Line + significant grant schemes• Plus establishment of ANROWS and the Foundation

National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010 – 2022

• Released in June 2014 • Five National Priorities:

1. Driving whole of community action to prevent violence2. Understanding diverse experiences of violence3. Supporting innovative services and integrated systems4. Improving perpetrator interventions5. Continuing to build the evidence base

• Includes State/ Territory commitments + most national level prevention activities involve the Foundation

Second Action Plan 2013 – 2016

An Australian community free from violence against women and their children.

A shared vision …

But an independent approach – focussed on primary prevention

What is primary prevention?

• Stopping violence before it starts• Addressing underlying causes in attitudes, behaviours and

practices that support, justify or minimise violence• Initiatives aimed at whole population as well as tailored for

different groups (think drink driving, smoking)•Working with partners essential, especially government, other

NGOs and the response sector

Think of an Australia where women, girls and boys live without the threat or fear of abuse and violence, of any kind, whether in their homes or in other places.

Think of living in a country in which we all speak up about these issues and as a community say we do not and cannot accept violence in the lives of anyone.

This is what the Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children is about.

““

Ms Natasha Stott Despoja AM, Chair

Australia led the way: VicHealth 2007 – Preventing Violence before it Occurs: A Framework and Background Paper to Guide the Primary

Prevention of Violence against Women in Victoria

Identifying the underlying ‘causes’ of violence

• First to undertake a meta-analysis of global studies (and propose a framework for action)

• Later reinforced by WHO 2010 – Preventing Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence

• This understanding of the evidence since agreed upon by member states at UN CSW 2013 – Agreed Conclusions on the Elimination and Prevention of All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls

There is no single cause of violence against women and their childrenKey underlying factors (‘determinants’) relate to:• Power differentials: Unequal economic, social and political power between men

and women ( from the relationship to the societal level) – and the laws, practices, etc that support or fail to address this

• Attitudes and social norms: e.g. rigid gender roles and stereotypes, or seeing violence as a means of asserting male dominance or solving disputes

Other factors, such as childhood experience of violence, alcohol abuse or socio-economic disadvantage can contribute to VAWC, but only when they come into play with the above determinants

Underlying causes – summary of the evidence

Approaching the problem from several levels – the socio-ecological model

Community / Organisational

SocietalIndividual / Relationship

Societal: The cultural values & beliefs that shape the other three layers of social ecology. Individual: The developmental experiences and

personality factors that shape a person’s responses to stressors in their environment.Relationship: The intimate interactions a person has with others.

Community / Organisational: The formal and informal social structures that impact on a person

Where have we come from and where are we going?

• The 2007 VicHealth framework established the idea of 'going upstream' to stop violence before it starts, and gave advocates, policy makers and practitioners an evidence base and model for how to do so.

• The framework galvanised efforts in Victoria, inspiring those working on the frontline, and in local government, media, sporting clubs and associations, faith-based organisations, schools and education organisations, first time parenting programs and others to see that by focusing on attitudinal and cultural change, violence against women is preventable.

• Prevention work less well established in other States/Territories

The ‘prevention journey’ so far …

• Primary prevention is a key part of the answer to ending violence against women and their children.

• However, any effective action needs to be based on a national approach.• Developing a national approach to primary prevention provides a game

changing opportunity to develop shared understandings, knowledge, capabilities, skills and evidence to stop violence against women and their children across Australia.

• Challenges: Relatively new, with evolving evidence Addressing a complex, ‘wicked’ problem Challenging to deeply-held attitudes → resistance

The ‘prevention journey’ – next steps

The Foundation needs to rise to these challenges.

A unique organisation, nationally and internationally → no template.

Taking evidence-based, evidence-building approach, in close partnership with others.

• We know we need to address underlying causes, which means:• Challenging gender-stereotyping and violence-supportive attitudes and

behaviours• Promoting gender equality through laws, policies, institutional and organisational

systems and practices

• We need to find a way to ‘lift good practice up’ beyond single initiatives into sustained, systematised activity

• Plus work across multiple levels and settings → can’t do this alone:

• Need a coordinated approach among stakeholders and with governments

What does this mean for the Foundation’s work?

Strategic directions – what the consultations told us

• gather existing evidence of effectiveness and success in violence prevention from Australia and overseas and emerging best practice. Consult with key stakeholders to develop and promote nationally consistent terminology related to violence against women;

• develop a national violence primary prevention framework with implementation guidelines linked to the National Plan, National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020, and other relevant strategies/ frameworks;

• map key legislative and other systemic factors and develop a priority action plan to guide the changes required to assist in the prevention of violence; and

• develop an awareness raising strategy/ campaign to increase understanding across the country of the nature, dimensions, contributors and impacts of violence against women and their children; this includes a media/ communications strategy.

What should we prioritise?

• Currently working with member Governments to develop pilot projects in particular settings or with particular population groups

• Aiming to generate learnings and create models that are ‘transferrable’ and can be embedded in systems for sustainability

• Development of National Framework a ‘keystone’ piece of work, • Associated tools/resources• Workforce development strategy• Leverage for shared approaches to implementation and monitoring nationally

• Launching Strategic Plan

Next steps

• Results. The results sought in terms of the reduction in, and the prevention of, violence against women and their children.

• Voice and influence. The role of the Foundation as a national body driving cultural and behavioural change across the Australian community.

• Enabler and catalyst. A collaborating and facilitating role. The consultations recognised the shared vision provided by the National Plan. What was needed was a mechanism to sustain national dialogue about preventing violence. This includes creating a strategic framework and approach.

• A robust sustainable organisation. Supported by income from a wide range of sources as well as clear goals, operational plans and strong partnerships.

What does success look like?