No to Violence

The Domestic Violence NSW 2024 Conference finished up yesterday, acknowledging 50 years of action against gendered violence.  NTV CEO Phillip Ripper and our Head of Engagement Lizette Twisleton were pleased to be there as an incredible line up of subject matter experts, practitioners, speakers, panellists, and people with lived expertise leant into the rich history of the struggle with stories from the past, looked at the issues we are facing today and looked forward to what the future could hold. With the theme of the conference being ‘Past, Present, Future’ there was lots of reflecting on how the refugee movement started and where the practice is now – and how everyone is standing on the shoulders of giants who started the violence  against women movement. Complex questions like where do we need to go to ensure that best practice meets the complex needs of all people were grappled with.  Lizette facilitated a panel session ‘Reflections on ethical practice when working with adults who use family violence’. Huge thanks to Delia Donovan and her wonderful team for hosting such a brilliant conference! Jodie Harrison   sonia Kalsi Claudia Cummins

These figures are confronting, but not surprising.  Using domestic and family violence is a choice – and men need to be supported to choose not to use violence.  NTV acknowledges the commitment of the NSW Government to addressing men’s use of domestic and family violence via its recent budget funding boost for Men’s Behaviour Change Programs (MBCPs), when an additional $10 million over four years was allocated for MBCPs. That boost will reduce the close to 500 men currently waiting to access programs across NSW, helping to keep victim-survivors safer. It’s an important step towards ensuring there are accessible interventions to help end men’s use of domestic and family violence in NSW. It was also promising to see $5 million over four years for research for building understanding of who uses domestic and family violence, and what works best to change their behaviour, announced in May’s $230 million emergency package. To support these initiatives, NTV has called for a NSW Perpetration Strategy to guide coordinated, whole-of-government and community responses to stop people using domestic and family violence. We look forward to continuing to work with the NSW Government, as well as governments in other jurisdictions, to bring these shocking figures down and keep women, children and communities safer.  

Farewell Lizette Twisleton! After seven and a half years of incredible service, NTV Head of Engagement Lizette Twisleton has made the difficult decision to leave us. She will return to her community and back to where her career all started on the North Coast of NSW. Lizette is returning to manage The Men and Family Centre; we are thankful she remains in the sector and look forward to continuing to work with her in new ways. Here at NTV wish her all the best and thank her for her passionate and tireless service to support NTV’s leadership on working with people who use violence in meaningful ways to achieve our common purpose of keeping women and children safe. This photo shows Lizette being celebrated at the conclusion of our NTV 2024 Conference: Leading radical Change. Alongside her is NTV Board member Debra Filippin.

“At the moment it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors.” - NTV CEO Phillip Ripper Last week's National Cabinet's announcement won’t move the dial on family violence.    If Australia is going to stop family violence, governments need to invest in solutions. In the midst of a national crisis we need more Commonwealth funding not less.   NTV will continue to call for a national strategy that puts men in the frame and provides a far broader suite of interventions to stop men using family violence and provide pathways out of using violence. 

Today the NSW government launched that state’s first primary prevention strategy for family, domestic and sexual violence in NSW. The strategy aims to address the underlying beliefs and cultures that enable the use of violence against women and children. Here’s what NTV CEO Phillip Ripper had to say about the launch in the Government’s media release: “Men’s use of domestic, family and sexual violence is not inevitable. NSW’s first standalone primary prevention strategy outlines how we can work together to address the underlying causes of domestic, family and sexual violence and stop violence before it occurs.” “Collective commitment to these actions can help reduce the burden on services that provide crisis responses to domestic, family and sexual violence.” “NTV particularly welcomes the focus on supporting Aboriginal-led prevention to ensure there are culturally safe and strengths-based approaches that centre the knowledge, culture, and resilience of Aboriginal peoples.” Jodie Harrison Hannah Tonkin Chris Minns Domestic Violence NSW Full Stop Australia Read the NSW Government’s media release here: https://lnkd.in/gbeT-AFR.

A wonderful evening yesterday at the Riverina Family Law Pathways Network professional event discussing Men’s Behaviour Change and Family Law. ⭐️ A huge thank you to our special guests Taylah Gray, First Nations Lawyer & PhD candidate and Dave Kramer Violence Prevention Advocate and Small Steps 4 Hannah ambassador. Both speakers were powerful and thought provoking. We would also like to thank our other guest speakers, Aunty Dot; Jeremy Naumann, Family Lawyer; Carolyn Bateman, No to Violence; Carla Hall, RACR who will be leading the program; Stephanie Hodson CSC PSM, RACR CEO and MC for the evening. And Dr Joe McGirr MP for his attendance. Another big thank you to all who attended and made the evening so valuable 🫶 For more information on Men’s Behaviour Change see the link below https://lnkd.in/g97UCUtp

Huge thanks to Relationship Matters for supporting #NTV2024! Relationship Matters is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes healthy, respectful and fulfilling relationships within the Victorian community. They provide a range of affordable relationship services including individual counselling, relationship counselling, family therapy, relationship learning programs, family dispute resolution and mediation. Here's what Strategic Communications and Business Development Manager Vicki Kyritsis said about sponsoring a booth at NTV 2024 Conference: Leading Radical Change: “The No to Violence Conference was a fantastic opportunity not only to exhibit our work but also to connect with like-minded professionals in the field. Engaging with attendees at our exhibitor booth allowed us to share our programs and initiatives, fostering meaningful conversations around family violence intervention.” “In addition to exhibiting, the discussions, panels, and sessions throughout the conference prompted valuable reflections on how we can continue to implement best practices within our Family Violence Prevention team. These insights have sparked thought-provoking conversations among the team, helping us explore ways to integrate the learnings and ensure our programs evolve in this space.” “Our Relationship Matters team thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and we are excited to continue building on the connections made, while further advancing our programs through the insights gained.”   Thanks Vicki and Daniel and thanks Relationship Matters! 

Thanks Our Watch for bringing your considerable expertise and passion for prevention to #NTV2024!

📢| CALL FOR UNPUBLISHED REPORTS Are you working with or responding to men who use domestic and family violence? This may be in form of criminal justice, therapeutic, one-on-one or group-based interventions. Have you evaluated your response or intervention but not published the report? If you are able to share or discuss specific evidence you have generated to be included in a report prepared for NSW Department of Communities and Justice to inform the NSW Perpetrator Intervention Strategy, contact us. Unpublished evidence will be treated confidentially and can be included in the evidence summary in a de-identified format. We are particularly interested in any reports based on innovative interventions and evidence speaking to what works for specific cohorts (eg young men, men with comorbid AOD use, First Nations men, CALD men, neurodiverse men, gay, bisexual and transgender men, child protection involved men, criminal justice system involved men, etc). For more information on the project and how to contact us, visit the project website: https://lnkd.in/gAETZGs5 Due to the tight turnaround of the evidence review, we are seeking submissions by end of Wednesday 18/09/2024. Unfortunately, we are unable to conduct interviews with practitioners or organisations around outcome observations to capture undocumented evidence within this timeframe. Brodie Evans, PhD Damian Green Lizette Twisleton No to Violence Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services Court Services Victoria Tony Johannsen Rodney Vlais (them/their) Maree Corbo Joanne Trentin Ria Wong Jason Payne Griffith Criminology Institute María Atiénzar Prieto

Thank you DV-alert! Big thanks to both DV-alert and 1800RESPECT Australia for supporting #NTV2024!