Lived Experience

Embedding lived experience of family violence into policy development and service delivery

Overview

Out of tragedy you can make good, so I do recognise that for many victims of family violence it’s really difficult to be heard.

But when you have someone with an experience, not just like myself but everybody else, it’s very hard not to be emotionally challenged and realise that you have a duty to do something about this issue.

Rosie Batty, Inaugural Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council Chair 2016-2019

Embedding lived experience of family violence and the family violence system into policy development and service delivery will lead to better outcomes for victim survivors and for Victoria.

Through the First Rolling Action Plan (2017-2020) we have seen the benefits of taking the time to understand how victim survivors experience the system.

Lived experience practice in family violence is an emerging field. Over the next three years, in partnership with the family violence sector, survivor advocate groups and academia we will draft an agenda to develop this discipline. This includes more work focusing on children and young people’s experience and how to better hear and incorporate this into our reforms.

Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council

The most visible element of our commitment to embedding lived experience is the Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council (VSAC).

… through their courage to share their personal stories, VSAC members have made a difference and started to shift and challenge thinking about family violence and disrespectful behaviours towards women.

Gabrielle Williams Minister for Prevention of Family Violence December 2019

VSAC Members represent their own diverse lived experience of family violence and include representatives from communities including Aboriginal communities, multicultural communities, people with disability, regional and rural Victoria, LGBTIQ+ communities, older Victorians, sex workers, criminalised women, family members who have lost relatives to family violence and people who experienced family violence as a child or young person.

Over the last 4 years VSAC has:

contributed to the development of foundational strategies including our 10-year plan, ‘Ending Family Violence: Victoria’s Plan for Change’, as well as strategies for inclusion and equity, gender equity and primary prevention
advocated for change and reform in family violence by sharing personal stories and providing keynote speakers for events
provided advice across multiple government portfolios, relating to the design of courts, intersections with the NDIS, behavioural change campaigns and the design of a family violence memorial
advised on legislative changes, including the Victorian government’s Justice Legislation Amendment (Family Violence Protection and Other Matters) Act 2018 and the Gender Equality Act 2020
provided feedback and insights for the Rolling Action Plan 2020-2023 through participation in four deep-dive workshops on priority areas of members’ choosing: Primary Prevention, Housing, Legal Assistance and Courts

Liana Papoutsis is a victim survivor of family violence and was a member of the inaugural Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council. She explains how the reform benefits from embedding lived experience at every stage.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fb-E2Dj0WBI?autoplay=0&start=0&rel=0

Liana Papoutsis talks about collaborating with people with lived experience

Victim Survivors’ Advisory Council

Progress since 2016

People with lived experience have informed and influenced policy development and service design activities across the reform