Family Violence Risk Assessment and Management

Unit Outline (Higher Education)

Level of Unit in Course

AQF Level(s) of Course

Level of Unit in Course

Introductory

Intermediate

Effective Term:

2026/05

Institute / School :

Institute of Education, Arts & Community

Unit Title:

Family Violence Risk Assessment and Management

Unit ID:

GCSCS6005

Credit Points:

15.00

Prerequisite(s):

Nil

Co-requisite(s):

Nil

Exclusion(s):

Nil

ASCED:

090599

Other Change:

Brief description of the Unit

This unit focuses on family violence and applied professional practice aimed at managing risk and increasing safety. Students will examine the historical, socio-political, and socio-economic structures that have shaped the development of family violence definitions, legislation, policy, and societal attitudes within the Australian context. Key to this is the Royal Commission into Family Violence (Royal Commission) that outlined a number of recommendations including the development of a new and shared risk assessment and management framework put into legislation (Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework (State of Victoria, 2021). This is relevant for all sectors and workforces that come in contact with family violence. All community and social services and each workforce is prescribed under regulation in line with Part 11 FVPA.

Core practice skills in recognising and responding to family violence are examined and contextualized for working with adults experiencing FV, children experiencing FV, and persons using FV in practice settings such as the Aboriginal Specialist Family Violence (SFV) workforce and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs). A strong emphasis is placed on culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approaches to working responsibly with people who use violence, while upholding Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait peoples’ self-determination. Opportunities will be provided in class to work collaboratively to provide coordinated and effective risk assessment and management responses, including early response when family violence first occurs to avoid escalation into crisis and additional harm.

Grade Scheme:

Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF)

Work Experience Indicator:

No work experience

Placement Component:

Supplementary Assessment:Yes

Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment

Course Level:

Learning Outcomes:

Knowledge:

K1.

Apply social and community services theories, human rights and professional practice frameworks including the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) (State of Victoria, 2021) when working with adults experiencing family violence and children experiencing family violence and people using violence.

K2.	Apply intersectionality and demonstrate how unconscious bias can increase marginalised groups of people to have negative outcomes.

K3.	Demonstrate an understanding of the gendered nature of family violence, with family violence overwhelmingly violence perpetrated by men to women and to people from the LGBTIQA+ communities.

K4.	Develop an advanced understanding of family violence definitions, legislation, policy, social and service context.

K5.

Demonstrate an advanced ability to apply knowledge and principles of self-determination and cultural safety in professional practice, informed by an understanding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultures, the injustices experienced as a result of colonisation, and the ongoing impacts these have on experiences of social and community services.

K6.

Advanced analysis of the values, ideologies and discourses that underpin professional practice in family violence work, including recognising and managing personal values, prejudices, discrimination and biases [conscious and unconscious], and understanding how these can affect inclusive service provision.

K7.

Recognise the value of evidence-based domestic and international research to service provision with adults experiencing FV, children experiencing FV and adults using FV. This includes the Duluth Power and Control Wheel, the MARAM framework in the state of Victoria for guidance on evidence-based risk factors and tools such as Comprehensive Risk Assessment, and Safety Planning, as well as legal guidelines such as the Information Sharing Schemes.

Skills:

S1.

Identify and apply relevant family violence frameworks and practice guidance for recognising and responding to family violence when working with working with adults experiencing FV, children and adolescents experiencing FV, and adults using FV. Demonstrate the use of practical skills and family violence practice guidance to undertake risk assessment and risk management in accordance with the MARAM framework.

S2.	Demonstrate the development of skills for practice through written [including case notes] and oral assessments and in discussion with peers.

S3.	Develop self-knowledge and awareness through reflection and reflexivity in the application of family violence risk assessment and risk management frameworks.

S4.	Analyse and evaluate knowledge and information to inform practice approaches, including the importance of practitioner wellbeing.

Application of knowledge and skills:

A1.	Apply skills for practice by integrating knowledge of family violence practice frameworks and theory to a range of social issues, in particular family violence as experienced by multiple different communities and populations.

A2.	Apply reflective thinking to practice, to examine the power dynamics between client and practitioner when working with adults experiencing FV, children experiencing FV and adults using FV.

A3.	Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge and skills, and to engage in a respectful, professional and culturally safe manner.

A4.	Demonstrate knowledge and skills for engaging and working with people who use violence and for increasing accountability for people who use violence.

A5.	Demonstrate the ability to work towards recovery and healing, using a trauma-informed approach that demonstrates belief, respect, and valuing of knowledge, culture and lived experience.

A6.	Demonstrate the ability to work towards recovery and healing, using a trauma-informed approach that demonstrates belief, respect, and valuing of knowledge, culture and lived experience.

Unit Content:

Topics may include:

1.History and development of family violence definitions, legislation and policy

· National and State definitions of family violence

· The history and development of family violence legislation and policy

· Outcomes of Royal Commission recommendations

· The MARAM framework, including ten responsibilities, Structured Professional Judgement and related tools.

· The National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 (Australian Government, 2022) and Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way-Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families (State of Victoria, 2018)

2. Unpacking societal myths about gender that perpetuate family violence

· Unpacking the roles, messages and consequences of myths (victim blaming myths; myths that minimise, justify and take responsibility away from people who use violence)

· How myths are perpetuated in society, media reporting and damaging stereotypes

· a deep underlying of the drivers of family violence

· intersectional approaches when supporting diverse communities

3a) Theories for working in the family violence sector

· Feminist theory

· Trauma and violence informed and responsive practice

· Intersectional feminist theory

· Strengths-based practice

· Eco-systems theory

· Standpoint-theory

· Narrative theory

· Person-centred and person in context approaches

· Power and control

3b) Skills for working in the family violence sector

· Active listening and empathy

· Attitudes and values

· Risk assessment and management

· Safety planning

· Self-care and sustaining oneself when working in family violence

· Safe and sensitive engagement with:

o adults experiencing FV, and children and adolescents experiencing FV

o people using family violence

· Balancing accountability with trauma (not letting people’s experiences of trauma become justifications for use of violence)

· Working with complex presentations

· Recognising and responding to:

o power and control

o gender drivers of family violence

o acts of resistance and misidentification

o intersectionality

4.Family Violence support work principles of practice and skills when supporting family member/s affected and persons using violence

· Family violence behaviours within the current legal definitions

· Current legislated practice models including the MARAM (Identification, Intermediate and Comprehensive responsibilities) (State of Victoria, 2018)

· Flexible and accountable advanced responses for: support, advocacy, intake, case management, case planning, making referrals and brokerage etc.

· Psychoeducation, Duluth power and control wheels (Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs, 2024), cycle of violence

· Coercive control tactics and behaviours

· Impacts of family violence on children

· Engagement, cultural safety and relationship building with clients in the context of family violence support (State of Victoria, 2024)

· Culturally and spiritually responsive practice, reflection and reflexive practice to support clients

5. Legal and Systems Support and Change

· Systemic safety planning using legal processes such as Family Violence Intervention Orders etc.

· Restorative Justice

· Person-centered safety planning

· Writing strengths and evidence-based case notes

· Advocacy for family member/s affected across different legal jurisdictions

· Consulting with Aboriginal and/or Torress Strait peoples’

· Using appropriate cultural knowledge and language when working with Aboriginal and/or Torress Strait peoples’

6. Responsible and accountable work with people who use violence

· Keeping safety of children and family member/s affected paramount

· Holding people who use violence responsible and accountable

· Recording, storing and sharing of information

· Motivational interviewing

· Stages of change

· Avoiding collusion

· Applying MARAM working with people who use violence guidelines

· Dangers of incorrect identification of family member/s affected

· Healing strategies that are culturally appropriate especially for Aboriginal and/or Torress Strait peoples’

Graduate Attributes:

Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.

FED TASK and descriptor		Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit
FED TASK and descriptor		Level
FEDTASK 1 Interpersonal	Students will demonstrate high-level skills to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups Students will be required to display (in person and/or online) high-level skills in-person and/or online in: • Effective verbal and non-verbal communication via a range of synchronous and asynchronous methods • Active listening for meaning and influencing • High-level empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating extended conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams	1 - Yes
FEDTASK 2 Leadership	Students will demonstrate the ability to apply leadership skills and behaviours Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating, contributing to, and enabling collegial environments • Showing self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect for personal growth • Inspiring and enabling others • Making informed and evidence-based decisions through consultation with others • Displaying initiative and ability to solve problems	1 - Yes
FEDTASK 3 Critical Thinking and Creativity	Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complex and ambiguous environments, using their imagination to create new ideas Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically on complex problems • Synthesising, evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Proposing alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts through deep inquiry • Proposing creative solutions in problem solving	1 - Yes
FEDTASK 4 Digital Literacy	Students will demonstrate the ability to work proficiently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks Students will be required to display high-level skills in: • Finding, accessing, collating, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and appropriately and securely sharing complex digital information at a high-level • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Using digital tools appropriately to conduct research • Contributing proficiently to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and utilising digital learning opportunities	1 - Yes
FEDTASK 5 Sustainable and Ethical Mindset	Students will demonstrate the ability to think ethically and sustainably. Students will be required to display skills in: • The responsible conduct of research • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in multiple global economic environmental and societal contexts • Demonstrating commitment to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Generating research solutions which are sustainable,ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable • Extending lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Demonstrate extended actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life.	1 - Yes

	Learning Outcomes Assessed	Assessment Tasks	Assessment Type	Weighting
1.	K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, K6, K7, S2, S3, S4, A2, A3, A4, A5	Reflect on detailed family violence scenarios, demonstrating theoretical and cultural awarness.	Case-based Reflection	25-35%
2.	K1, K4, K5, K7, S1, S2, S3, S4, A1, A3, A4, A5	Group oral presentation to complete a comprehensive MARAM risk assessment for a FV case scenario for each of the following: - adults experiencing FV, - children experiencing FV, and - persons using FV to demonstrate practitioner risk assessment skills.	Group Oral Presentation	35-45%
3.	K1, K4, S1, S2, S3, A1, A3, A4, A5	Personalised safety plan based on a FV case scenario for a client in a FV service to demonstrate practitioner safety planning skills.	Safety Plan	25-35%

Adopted Reference Style:

APA ()

Professional Standards / Competencies:

Standard / Competency