Project Description
The Griffith University Disrupting Violence Beacon is partnering with DVConnect to design and evaluate a pilot program for Queensland men who use violence in relationships. START is a short-term, phone-based program that supports men to build the foundations to stop using violence. Three pathways assist START to achieve this aim. Pathway one connects men with people and services that can assist them to address intersecting needs that contribute to their choice to use violence. Pathway one liaises with service providers so they are aware that violence use is a concern for men being referred through START and can use that information to inform their work and relationships with the man. Pathway one offers advice and support to service providers where indicated. Pathway two enhances motivation to stop violence by supporting men to develop insight into their use of violence and the consequences of violence for self and others. Pathway two provides interventions that improve participants’ access to alternatives to violence, such as knowledge and skills that enable change. Pathway two also assesses, monitors, and manages risk to self and others on an ongoing basis. Pathway three encourages and facilitates the cultivation of an accountability network that consists of trusted supports (formal and informal) who can safely challenge harmful attitudes and actions and encourage non-violence. Members of Griffith University’s Disrupting Violence Beacon have worked closely with the START pilot project team to support the development and implementation of START and are currently evaluating the START program.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
The primary beneficiaries of the START program are START clients. In the START program, skilled practitioners embedded in a specialist domestic and family violence service with established referral pathways provide one-on-one interventions to help clients take the first steps towards a violence free life. Through this process, clients have an opportunity to build knowledge, skills, and insight; connect with services that can help them address co-occurring needs that impact violence use & overall health and wellbeing; and establish and strengthen formal and informal accountability networks to help shape behaviour. This includes clients who might otherwise be excluded from accessing support due to social, cultural, or geographic isolation. When men are supported to stop using violence, and to identify and address factors that enable violence use and prevent change, the women and children (and other men) START clients pose a risk to also benefit, as do their broader families & communities
Outcomes to Date
A major milestone for the partnership was the commencement of the START program in August 2024. This milestone followed several earlier achievements including a literature review to identify existing programs that might inform START, a pre-implementation evaluation of DVConnect’s Mensline to understand the START referral base, development of the program logic and supporting resources, recruitment of specialist practitioners, and development of a comprehensive evaluation strategy. Since implementation, START has received 42 referrals. Recruitment and data collection for the START evaluation is underway. The START program was featured in a presentation at November’s SPEAQ forum, and members of the project team have met with court representatives to provide information about the scope and aims of START. The program continues to evolve in response to the needs identified by its participants and other stakeholders.
Project Significance
START contributes to the elimination of violence against women by addressing a gap in services that prevents men from accessing support to stop using violence. In Queensland, there are two primary pathways for men who use violence to access support to change their behaviour: Men’s Behaviour Change Programs (MBCP) and DVConnect Mensline (DVCML). MBCPs are an established and essential component of the broader social and policy response to prevent men’s violence against women in Queensland. However, owing to the limited number of programs available, the limited number of places each program can offer, the geographical distribution of programs, and psychosocial barriers impacting engagement and retention, many men face lengthy delays to access a Men’s Behaviour Change Program, while others will never successfully engage with or complete one. DVCML is a confidential telephone support service that offers counselling, referral, and information to men who are using or experiencing violence in intimate relationships. DVCML is available to all men in Queensland. However, DVCML is a one-off intervention that cannot offer sustained support and is not resourced to address the needs of men who are unable to access a MBCP or choose not to. The resulting gap places women and children at ongoing risk. START’s innovative service delivery model provides an alternative option designed to capture men who might otherwise drift out of view.