On this page:
Contact details
Purpose
Description
Definition of family and domestic violence
Relationship to Defining the data challenge for family, domestic and sexual violence (cat. no. 4529.0)
Family and domestic violence related content (data items collected)
Collection methodology
Scope / Target population
Coverage
Data availability / Dissemination
Publications
Collection history
Other directory data sources held by this agency

VICTORIAN FAMILY VIOLENCE DATABASE

DASHBOARD METADATA

Collection type		Geographic coverage		Frequency		Data availability
Administrative by-product		Victoria LGA		2-4 yearly		Detailed publication / report publicly available

DETAILED METADATA

Contact details

Data custodian	Victorian Department of Justice
Contact	Family Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, Manager, Community Operations and Victims Support Agency
Address	18/121 Exhibition St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Telephone	03 8684 6715
Facsimile	03 8684 6777
Email	vsa@justice.vic.gov.au
Internet	http://www.justice.vic.gov.au
Source link	http://www.victimsofcrime.vic.gov.au/utility/for+professionals/

PURPOSE

To provide data on patterns and trends of public reporting of family violence in Victoria in the context of family violence reform initiatives since 1999. The Report provides valuable information on relevant policy initiatives and helps build a picture of family violence in Victoria to better inform future policy and service delivery

DESCRIPTION

This report provides trend analysis of state-wide, cross-sector, whole of government family violence reports in Victoria. The latest report contains over a decade of Victorian family violence data from 1999–2010, including:

• Victoria Police family violence incident reports;
• Victorian Magistrates’ and Children's Court finalised intervention order applications, including Specialist Family Violence Courts;
• Victorian Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP);
• Victorian Public Hospital Emergency Departments;
• The Department of Justice Victims of Crime Helpline and Victims Assistance Counselling Program;
• The Department of Human Services Integrated Reporting and Information System (IRIS);
• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal; and
• Victoria Legal Aid.

DEFINITION OF FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Family violence is defined for the purposes of the database according to Victorian legislation. For data prior to the commencement of the Family Violence Protection Act (2008), the term family violence is defined as:

Violent, threatening, coercive or controlling behaviour in current or past familial, domestic or intimate relationships. This encompasses not only physical injury but direct or indirect threats, sexual assault, emotional and psychological torment, economic control, property damage, social isolation and behaviour which causes a person to live in fear. Family violence is committed primarily, though not exclusively, by men against women. This definition encompasses violence against children and between siblings and is not limited to criminal behaviours as identified in the Victorian Crimes (Family Violence) Act 1987.

Prior to the commencement of the Family Violence Protection Act (2008) definitions used by each agency that contributes data to the Victorian Family Violence Database differ according to their legislation or agency requirements.

The Family Violence Protection Act (2008) includes an expanded definition of family violence, such that:

• ‘violence’ includes behaviours that are physically or sexually abusive, emotionally, psychologically or economically abusive, threatening, coercive or which cause a person to fear for the safety or cause a child to hear or witness the above types of behaviours; and
• ‘family member’ now includes a relationship between a person with a disability and the person’s carer where they are dependent on support.

This expanded definition will be reflected in data increasingly from 2009 onwards.

Aspects of family and domestic violence captured by the data are:

• physical abuse;
• sexual abuse;
• psychological /emotional abuse;
• verbal abuse;
• economic abuse;
• social abuse;
• property damage; and
• harassment and stalking.

RELATIONSHIP TO DEFINING THE DATA CHALLENGE FOR FAMILY, DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE (cat. no. 4529.0)

The summary table below is designed to indicate the amount of information available for each of the six elements outlined in Defining the Data Challenge for Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence, 2013 (cat. no. 4529.0). This is a subjective assessment made by the ABS about the data collected and is not an indication of data quality.

Conceptual Framework	Amount of Information Available
Element/Sub–element
	Some	Detailed
Context
Environmental factors
Psycho-social factors
Risk
Community prevalence
Community incidence
Incident/event
Responses
Formal responses
Informal responses
Impacts/Outcomes
Programs, Research & Evaluation

FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATED CONTENT (data items collected)

The following tables provide a detailed analysis of the availability of specified data elements in the data source. The data items have been grouped into four counting units:
1. Context;
2. Person;
3. Incident/Event; and
4. Transaction.

Tables are absent from the entry in cases where the data source contains no data items which relate to the particular counting unit/s.

Context

Data Items	Victim	Perpetrator	Secondary
Community perceptions
Neighbourhood problems
Feelings of safety/fear
Social connectedness/networks
Other

Person

Data Items	Victim	Perpetrator	Secondary
Residential location
Age
Sex
Indigenous status
Disability status
Country of birth
Language spoken
Employment status
Education
Income
Socio-economic status
Mental illness
Other

Incident/event

Data Items	Available
Location of incident/event
Residential location
Workplace
Educational institution
Public Place
Other Location
Relationship between parties
Current partner
Previous partner
Boyfriend/girlfriend/date
Parent
Child
Sibling
Other relatives
Other member of household
Personal/financial dependency
Other (Incidents where children are reported as present or affected)
Other Characteristics
Weapon used
Type of weapon
Physical injury sustained
Type of injury sustained
Pregnancy
Alcohol/substance use
Prior history of victimisation/offending
Change to routine
Time off work/economic costs
Perceptions of behaviour as criminal
Other

Transaction

Data Items	Available
Detection
Reported to police
Reasons not reported to police
Satisfaction with police response
Application for violence order
Violence order issued
Offender charged
Offender went to court
Offender sentence type
Child protection involvement
Other (Number of reports of DV/Risk assessment/Future risk assessment)
Formal support
Services used/referral to services
Medical treatment/type
Counselling
Legal
Financial
Housing/accommodation
Crisis
Other (Victim programs/source of referral/referral to offender programs/completed safety plan)
Informal Support
Family/friends
Minister/priest
Telephone service
Other

COLLECTION METHODOLOGY

n/a

SCOPE / TARGET POPULATION

n/a

COVERAGE

n/a

DATA AVAILABILITY / DISSEMINATION

Detailed report published every 2-3 years.

PUBLICATIONS

Victoria Department of Justice, Victims of Crime, Related Forms and Publications

COLLECTION HISTORY

Collection commenced: 1999

Break in series: n/a

Other details: n/a

OTHER DIRECTORY DATA SOURCES HELD BY THIS AGENCY

COURTLINK - Victorian Magistrates' and Children's Court