The Victorian Government has published new Family Violence Regional Integration Committee Guidelines to support collaboration across local services responding to family violence in Victoria.
FVRICs are committees that work with local services and agencies to:
- understand local community needs, challenges and opportunities to strengthen responses to family violence
- work together to respond to family violence
- provide input to decision making on family violence policy and initiatives.
Each FVRIC is made up of local agencies and services that respond to family violence. They are led by a chair and a Family Violence Principal Strategic Advisor (PSA).
This includes:
- victim survivor specialist family violence services
- perpetrator services (men’s specialist family violence services)
- young people using family violence in the home services
- child and family services
- The Orange Door
- sexual assault services
- Victoria Police
- Child Protection
- court services and community legal services
- Aboriginal community-controlled organisations
- housing and homelessness services
- mental health services
- disability support services
- alcohol and other drug services
- regional, community and women’s health services
- elder abuse services.
The updated guidelines, published on 1 July, explain how FVRICs work to strengthen responses to family violence in their local area.
13 FVRICs operate across Victoria, including:
- Barwon
- Bayside Peninsula
- Central Highlands
- Eastern Melbourne
- Gippsland
- Goulburn
- Loddon
- Mallee
- Northern Melbourne
- Ovens Murray
- Southern Melbourne
- Western Melbourne
- Wimmera South West.
For more information about FVRICs and your nearest PSA, visit https://www.vic.gov.au/family-violence-regional-integration-committees-guidelines.