Anglicare Victoria’s (AV’s) family violence specialists play a pivotal role in helping victim-survivors break free from abusive relationships and begin the healing process. As part of our participation in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence we spoke to Mim Livingston, Family Services Team Leader at AV, about what it’s like to work in the family violence space.
“I’ve been working at AV for eight years – first in a family violence practice lead role in Family Services which involved building the capacity of staff to respond to family violence, and now as part of a small family violence team within Family Services,” said Mim.
“A large part of our work involves psychoeducation around family violence, safety planning and risk assessment. In family violence work you are constantly conducting risk assessments,” said Mim. “We do safety planning, conduct safety audits in homes, and get quotes and apply for funding for clients to install cameras, locks and other safety equipment. We liaise with police and the courts, and support clients to access legal services and apply for intervention orders. We also link clients with trauma and therapeutic services, to help the family recover from the violence they have experienced.”
Mim said family violence specialists also work with men who have used violence, helping them to understand the impact their behaviour has had on their family and make the changes needed for healthy relationships. In AV’s Men’s Behaviour Change, A Better Way and Caring Dads programs facilitators reiterate the message that men need to take accountability for their actions.
AV’s family violence workers regularly collaborate with other service streams, such as financial counselling and emergency relief, to help victim-survivors get recover and rebuild their lives. They also refer clients into programs like Beyond the Violence and TRAK Forward, which offer therapeutic support to women and children.
It’s challenging but rewarding work that requires excellent communication skills and plenty of empathy.
“Family violence workers need to have a good understanding of trauma and how it affects people. For example, we meet women who are presenting as mentally unwell when in fact they have deep trauma from what the perpetrator has done to them,” said Mim.
“It takes someone with real passion to do this work, but you also need to have so much patience, because this is someone’s life. It’s not as simple as just telling them to leave, because you don’t understand their level of fear.”
As with all social services roles, practitioners are encouraged to engage in self-care to manage the emotional toll of the job.
“When you work in this type of role you need to look after yourself. There’s a lot of vicarious trauma and it’s really difficult to hear disclosures about things like child sexual abuse,” said Mim. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me ‘How do you do this job?’, because I come across as quite soft, but I think you just find your own ways to cope.”
“We also come up against a lot of barriers within the system, particularly with the Family Court. We see a lot of injustice, but I think the key is to use that sadness and frustration to fuel your passion and direct it in the right way,” Mim said.
“If you’re interested in family violence work a social work or psychology degree is a good place to start,” said Mim. “There are also other courses you can do at university or TAFE to further your understanding of family violence.”
