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Building the Evidence for Family Violence Policy Reform: The Work of Specialist Women’s Refuges in Victoria, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2021

Suellen Murray ,
Jane Bullen ,
Jacqui Theobald  and
Juliet Watson
Suellen Murray
Affiliation:
RMIT University, Australia E-mail: suellen.murray@rmit.edu.au
Jane Bullen
Affiliation:
RMIT University, Australia E-mail: jane.bullen@rmit.edu.au
Jacqui Theobald
Affiliation:
La Trobe University, Australia E-mail: j.theobald@latrobe.edu.au
Juliet Watson
Affiliation:
RMIT University, Australia E-mail: juliet.watson@rmit.edu.au
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Abstract

While specialist women’s refuges have been central to responses to family violence since the 1970s, their work is under-researched. Little is known outside the family violence sector about the support they provide and how it assists women and children. There have been some critiques of their work but there is limited knowledge of the constraints women’s refuges face. Based on interviews and focus groups with 100 professional stakeholders and twenty-two service users, this article analyses the work of women’s refuges in the Australian state of Victoria in an effort to inform policy reform. The research found that refuges’ underpinning gendered analysis, focus on safety and support and advocacy to ensure women’s human rights are met have much to offer further developments in responding to family violence. In doing so, the article contributes to critical debates about the operation of refuges and the need for specialist family violence services.

Keywords

Social policyfamily violencedomestic violencewomen’s refugeshomelessness
Type
Article
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 21 , Issue 3: THEMED SECTION: Towards a Sustainable Welfare State , July 2022 , pp. 422 - 438
Copyright
© State of Victoria, Australia. Used with permission of the Department of Health and Human Services. Published by Cambridge University Press

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