Auditor zeroes in on programs meant to protect kids from domestic violence
As more and more young Queenslanders are put on supervision orders, a new report identifies the lack of support for children exposed to domestic violence.
The state was failing to act proactively on the āintergenerational transmission of violenceā, and there were few services for children and adolescents, the Queensland Audit Office report said.
Young people exposed to domestic and family violence were more likely to have poor mental and physical health, struggle with school and experience behaviour issues, it noted.
āDFV is also the leading cause of homelessness for young people, and many children who perpetrate DFV have been victims themselves,ā it said.
The number of young people beginning supervision in youth detention or the community for DV offences increased by over 57 per cent between 2015ā16 and 2020ā21.
The report notes that the Education Departmentās Respect program is a āsmall but positiveā step, but itās relied on too heavily and is not monitored for effectiveness.
You might like
Rehabilitating perpetrators to minimise the risk of reoffending also needs attention, and the Justice Department has limited knowledge of the programs it funds.
āFew rehabilitation programs and services are available for adult DFV perpetrators in prison and community settings,ā the report says.
Queensland Police recorded more than 139,000 DFV occurrences in 2021-22, up nearly 48 per cent in the past six years.
The audit found that QPS are assigning a lower priority response category to more DVF calls, and not responding within target time frames to urgent calls.
Stay informed, daily
āResponders lack training, are missing information or not using it, and are not adequately assessing risk,ā the report says.
Among the reportās 21 recommendations are a root cause analysis into delayed response times and identifyingĀ why a high proportion of prosecutions for choking, suffocation, or strangulation offences are unsuccessful.
Police should also undergoĀ mandatory annual face-to-face training, and the co-responder model including a wider range of services should be expanded.
The Palaszczuk Government has either agreed or agreed-in-principle to all the recommendations.
āI note that many of the Audit Officeās recommendations overlap with recommendations from the Womenās Safety and Justice Taskforce,ā Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman said.
āThis includes more integrated response, better training, and more information sharing.ā
The report notes the state governmentās āconsiderable effort and fundsā to improve itās response, and there are signs of progress.
Police are referring more people for support and applying for more DV orders on behalf of victims.
āQPS is also acting more on breaches of orders and using new laws relating to strangulation offences, although neither QPS nor the Department of Justice and Attorney-General have yet evaluated how effective these are,ā it says.
āSomeĀ inter-agency coordination is also happening.ā
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
