The Safer Families package is the ACT Government’s most significant investment in addressing family violence across our community in Canberra’s history.
This initiative is delivering more services in new ways, bringing family violence out of the shadows and ensuring those experiencing it get the help and support they need.
The 2018 Budget continues our commitment to the Safer Families package, with a total investment of $24.1 million over four years.
This year the ACT Government will deliver more new initiatives to address domestic and family violence, including:
- Full implementation of the Family Safety Hub which has been developed through an extensive co-design process between the community and government service providers. The Family Safety Hub is a network of government, specialist and community organisations, and people with a lived experience of family and domestic violence who will collaborate to develop better solutions to domestic and family violence. The best of those solutions will be piloted and those shown to be most effective will be used to drive change and broaden capacity in the broader service systems. We will deliver $5.9 million to undertake the next phase of work for the Hub.
- Training for front line workers across the health, education, community services and justice sectors will be delivered during 2018-19.
- More investment in frontline services for Canberrans in crisis with additional resources for the Canberra Rape Crisis Service and Domestic Violence Crisis Service so they can continue to respond to increased demand for domestic and family violence services.
- More funding for specialist homeless services which will deliver 36 more places for women seeking safe and secure accommodation and support to prevent women and children from becoming homeless due to domestic and family violence. This includes a children’s program which actively addresses trauma issues for children and promotes healthy relationships.
