Cash to fight family violence

A CRANBOURNE family services provider has received a funding boost to continue their work in changing the behaviour and attitudes of men towards domestic violence.
Relationships Australia’s Cranbourne office will receive $401,000 of funding over four years to deliver expanded voluntary men’s behaviour change programs in Casey, Cardinia and Greater Dandenong.
The money will allow the organisation to educate 50 per cent more men on changing and managing their behaviour towards women and their family.
South Eastern Metropolitan Region MP Inga Peulich said the funding was going into the South East region as it was identified as an area that would benefit from an expansion of this service.
“With family or domestic violence being one of the highest legal issues in the area, this type of preventative program is invaluable to local residents,” she said.
Minister for Community Services Mary Wooldridge said money was going into areas across the state in areas that are in need of expansion in this area, with the aim of breaking the cycle of violence and reducing recidivism.
Services are being expanded where there is a high incidence of family violence, where the incidence is increasing and where there are high rates of substantiated child neglect and abuse.
“This funding will provide more than 1000 additional places in behaviour change programs for men who use violence,” she said.
Ms Wooldridge said the programs were delivered according to the No To Violence minimum standards for running men’s behaviour change programs.
Participants are assessed for motivation, intention and suitability for the programs, which include group work, as well as individual counselling, advocacy and support.