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Wrapping up 2016
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NTV / MRS News 

 

Dear friends

What a huge year 2016 has been for our organisation, our members and our sector! With NTV and MRS now unified as one organisation, we occupy a special position as both a service provider and the peak advocacy body for men’s family violence.

We have seen rapid growth in both areas of our work, with our phone services now operating in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, including working closely with the NSW Department of Justice on following up with men who have been assessed by Police as victims in family violence reports.
 
We ran two Graduate Certificate intakes this year, including providing training in Alice Springs for the first time. We delivered bespoke training over five days in New South Wales and we are currently developing a manual around working with men for Queensland's Child Protection system.

We are committed to embracing diversity in our organisation and this year we have hired a number of women to work in the telephone team to reflect this.

We have also appointed Janis Constable to advise the Board on an Aboriginal Engagement Strategy. Watch this space! Next year will see us implementing this and sharing learnings with our members to help develop and continue to evolve culturally safe practices.

And I haven't even mentioned the Royal Commission into Family Violence, which tabled its report in March and which is now driving systematic reform across our specialist sectors, as well as within the Courts, Police, Child Protection and health systems and generating the community awareness required to make change really happen.

Our Strategy Manager, Michael Brandenburg and I have been invited to join the Expert Advisory Committee on Perpetrator Interventions (EACPI) and NTV / MRS is involved in discussions about Support and Safety Hubs, Central Information Points, an Industry Taskforce, changes to police reporting and risk management and greater collaboration amongst agencies. Please continue reading below for an update on the reforms.

So, it has probably been the most transformational year this organisation has ever seen. Sadly, some long standing staff members have left us, but happily we have recruited a fantastic team of new talent and are well poised to take this important work forward in 2017 so that the expansion of responses to men – and services for intervening more consistently with perpetrators – is informed by the right principles of accountability, understanding the gendered nature of family violence, and a deep, abiding commitment to making our communities safer for everyone.

We hope the upcoming Working with Men to Tackle Family Violence conference in Sydney will be the first of many conversations supporting the shaping of national policy. Please get involved and if you can’t make it to the conference, tell us what you think. Next year you will see more regular forums for our members along with many other ways to engage and provide input.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and the contributions you make each and every day to addressing the complex issues raised by male family violence. Our voices are being heard and the opportunity to get these interventions right is before us.

May your festive seasons be peaceful and restorative and wishing you well for 2017.

Sincerely,


Jacqui Watt
Chief Executive Officer
No To Violence incorporating the Men's Referral Service
NTV / MRS Chairperson James McCarthy, CEO Jacqui Watt and Chief Magistrate Peter Lauritsen
End of year BBQ
Thank you to everyone who joined us last Friday for a BBQ to celebrate the end of the year and get to know the team at NTV / MRS. We had a great time hosting friends from across and outside of the men's family violence sector and we hope to dust off the BBQ a few more times before we relocate to larger premises later in 2017.

Welcome to the NTV / MRS Strategy Team
Those of you who came along on Friday will have met our new Strategy Team, made up of Strategy Manager, Michael Brandenburg and Policy Officers, Louise Simms and Rashmi Kumar. Michael joined us recently from Child and Family Services (CAFS) Ballarat where he managed Family Violence, Family Relationships and Housing and brings decades of experience working with men around their use of violence. Rashmi has extensive policy experience, most recently having led the Community Development Team at Safe Steps and working prior to that as a Senior Policy Officer at NCOSS in Sydney. Louise's background is in advocacy and communications within the housing and homelessness sector, she joined us in October after conducting an evaluation of DVRCV's Partners in Prevention (PiP) Network and completing her Master of Public Policy.


Michael, Louise and Rashmi will be supporting the implementation of the organisation's strategic plan and driving policy advocacy on behalf of our members.

We are currently recruiting a Communications Officer to join the Strategy Team. Please apply as soon as possible if you are interested in this role, interviews will be held during January 2017.

Consultation and feedback from members in 2017
With the rapid change taking place in our sector, we are keen to ensure our members are kept up to date with all that is happening as well as having as many opportunities as possible to participate, provide feedback and share information.

We will be sending out a survey early next year to find out from you the best ways to meet your needs and ensure NTV / MRS hears your voices.
Updates on family violence reforms

NTV/MRS has been closely engaged with the Victorian Government’s reform process. NTV/MRS recently met with the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet to discuss how the reforms to family violence systems will go forward.

Demand audit
DPC has engaged KPMG to conduct an audit of demand for specialist family violence services. This was a specific recommendation of the Royal Commission (recommendation 223) as part of a more planned approach to resourcing responses to family violence.

Support and Safety Hubs
The department confirmed that the 5 sites for Support and Safety Hubs, which were announced on 25th November, would be in effect by the end of March 2017. The locations are: Barwon, Bayside Peninsula, Inner Gippsland, Mallee, and North-East Melbourne.

There will be further consultation and feedback processes about the Hubs in 2017. NTV/MRS and other peak bodies in the specialist family violence sector will be meeting regularly with DPC on the design of the Hubs, as well as further opportunities for regional services to be involved.

MBCP Minimum Standards Review

We are working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services on the implementation of the Royal Commission's recommendation to review the Minimum Standards for MBCPs. As part of our consultation with members to inform this review, we are  bringing together a Reference Group of NTV / MRS members currently delivering MBCPs, which will meet for the first time in January. 

If you have any feedback on the Minimum Standards or would like to participate in the Member Reference Group, please contact Louise Simms at louises@ntv.org.au or Rashmi Kumar at rashmik@ntv.org.au.

Industry Taskforce

A key recommendation of the Royal Commission is the development of a 10 year Industry Plan for family violence prevention and response in Victoria, and NTV/MRS are working closely with the Department of Premier and Cabinet and other members of the Industry Taskforce in its co-design.
 
The Industry Taskforce will be the primary advisory and consultation body for the Industry Plan and work has begun investigating key work modules related to workforce supply (service navigation, diversity of the workforce, rural and regional communities, health and wellbeing) and workforce capability (knowledge and skills).
 
Future work modules will include an examination of practitioner remuneration and conditions, career pathways, cross-sectoral practice and organisational capacity building.
 
A snapshot of the current workforce will be obtained in January 2017 through a workforce census (more information to come in future NTV/MRS bulletins).

 
The recommended timeframe for delivery of the Industry Plan is 31 December 2017, with commensurate funding for workforce transition and enhancement to begin from that date.

Other reforms
A number of other processes are underway to implement the Royal Commission’s recommendations. NTV/MRS has been involved in the following:
  • consultation in November on proposed changes to the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic)
  • a range of advisory bodies on Child Protection, restorative justice, LGBTI communities and family violence, as well as the Expert Advisory Committee on Perpetrator Interventions, and the Family Violence Industry Taskforce
  • providing feedback on changes to information sharing regulation.
Important new documents released
A number of key documents have recently been released which will impact on the Victorian family violence system. Ending Family Violence: Victoria's Plan for Change is the State Government's 10 year plan for implementing the Royal Commission into Family Violence's recommendations, ensuring victim survivor safety and building a future where Victorians live free from family violence.

Safe and Strong, Victoria's Gender Equality Strategy, sets out a framework for enduring and sustained action over time. The Strategy draws on global evidence of what works in gender equality and aims to  progressively build the attitudinal and behavioural change required to reduce violence against women.
Employment Opportunities

No To Violence / Men’s Referral Service
We are currently recruiting for a number of roles in the NTV / MRS team. It's an exciting time to be working at NTV / MRS as our services expand and our team continues to grow.

Please apply as soon as possible if you are interested in any of the roles listed below, interviews will take place during January. Click on the position title to be directed to further information about each role and instructions on how to apply:


Link Health and Community
Link Health and Community is seeking an additional male co-facilitator for its Men's Responsibility Group (MRG). Please contact Helen Wirtz for further information.

Upcoming Events

Conference: Working with Men to End Domestic Violence
We're excited about the upcoming NTV / MRS Working with Men to End Domestic Violence Conference, scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2017, in Sydney. Read my blog post on the importance of being part of this first of many national conversations. 

Contact Criterion Conferences Customer Care team for further information on 1300 316 882 or email registration@criterionconferences.com.
No To Violence / Men's Referral Service Membership
If you're not yet a member of NTV/MRS, application details to join are on our website. There are a range of membership options for individuals and organisations. 

If you're already a member but haven't paid your annual fee, please contact our office at admin@ntv.org.au or on 03 9487 4500. 


What's your news? 

We love hearing from our members. To include your event updates and news for NTV / MRS members, please contact admin@ntv.org.au or 03 9487 4500.
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NTV/MRS is supported by the Victorian, New South Wales and Tasmanian governments