Family violence jobs

Working in family violence is challenging but meaningful and rewarding:

• You will have opportunities to work in a sector committed to advocating for, and supporting, specialist family violence practice and service delivery for victim survivors, system reform, research, policy development and law reform
• You will be part of teams and organisations supporting intersectional feminist, human rights, and social justice concepts to drive inclusive and equitable service response
• You will work and collaborate with committed and highly skilled people to help change the story for Victorian families affected by family violence and contribute to the social and cultural change required to prevent family violence.
• You will learn and grow best practice approaches through the support of your colleagues, on-the-job and formal training opportunities.
• You will work and collaborate with committed and highly skilled people to help change the story for Victorian families affected by family violence and contribute to the social and cultural change required to prevent family violence.
• You can bring your new skills as a social or community services worker or transfer your skills and experience from other, related sectors.

From social workers and educators, to communicators and researchers - the family violence sector needs people with different skills, experiences and backgrounds for roles as diverse as the communities we serve.

Pathways to work span all educational sectors, including:

• industry and vocational (diplomas and certificates)
• higher education (bachelor and post graduate)

From social workers and educators, to communicators and researchers - the family violence and sexual sector needs people with different skills, experiences and backgrounds for roles as diverse as the communities we serve. There are so many different roles in the sector with a wide variety of qualifications needed depending on the position.

Some family violence response practitioner roles require specialist skills and experience and are therefore subject to the Mandatory Minimum Qualifications policy. Under this policy, people can enter these roles through pathways such as holding a Bachelor of Social Work. Or people can enter by holding a related qualification or having diverse lived experience or cultural expertise, and have time to work towards meeting the policy. 

Roles that are exempt from these qualification requirements include corporate services, administration, policy and project work, education and training, communications, legal and court advocacy, therapeutic support and counselling.

Mandatory Minimum Qualifications for specialist family violence practitioners

Over the next five years a new mandatory minimum qualifications policy will apply to specialist family violence practitioners entering the workforce from 1 July 2021.

This means that new family violence practitioners employed in a Victorian Government-funded organisation must:

• hold a Bachelor of Social Work or equivalent qualification, or
• enter via one of the available educational or employment pathways and be working towards meeting the policy.

People who enter via the lived experience or cultural expertise pathway have up to 10 years from commencing work to meet the policy. People who enter based on a related qualification have up to five-years to meet the policy. This gives people starting their career as a specialist family violence practitioner options to meet the requirements while balancing work and life commitments. 

The policy is in a transition period over five years to 30 June 2026. Over this period, Government is working with peak bodies, employers, unions and the tertiary education sector to monitor implementation of the policy.

The Mandatory Minimum Qualifications policy webpage has an in-depth explanation of the new policy and how it may apply to your personal circumstances.

This website also has a frequently asked questions section and a number of resources to assist in qualification mapping and how to speak with your prospective employer about how they can support you as you work towards meeting the requirements.

A community-led Aboriginal agreement to address family violence has been launched, along with funding to address family violence in Aboriginal communities.

Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way – Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families (Dhelk Dja) was released in October 2018 and is a 10-year Victorian Agreement that commits Aboriginal communities, Aboriginal services and the Victorian government to work together and be accountable for ensuring that Aboriginal people, families and communities are stronger, safer, thriving and living free from family violence.

About Dhelk Dja

Dhelk Dja is built on self-determination and aims to drive action at the state-wide, regional and local level. It has the following strategic priorities:

1. Aboriginal culture and leadership
2. Aboriginal-led prevention
3. Self-determining Aboriginal family violence support and services
4. System transformation based on self determination
5. Aboriginal led and informed innovation, data and research

The 2019-20 Victorian Budget included $28.7 million to continue the work of Dhelk Dja, $18.8 million for more frontline Aboriginal family violence services, and $9.9 million for the establishment and operation of Aboriginal Access Points which will be culturally safe places for Aboriginal people to access family violence support within The Orange Door network.

The Royal Commission into Family Violence recognised that for some groups in the community, family violence is less visible and less well understood by service providers and the broader community. The Royal Commission also acknowledged that the experiences of people from diverse communities are not necessarily reflected in current frameworks. As a result, these groups may be at greater risk of family violence, may experience it at higher rates, and/or face multiple and intersecting barriers to reporting, seeking and obtaining help.

The Royal Commission identified the following diverse community groups:

• culturally and linguistically diverse communities
• faith communities
• lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) communities
• people with a disability
• people experiencing mental illness issues
• older people
• women in or exiting prison or forensic institutions
• people working in the sex industry
• rural, regional and remote communities
• male victims
• young people (12–25 years of age).

There are many opportunities at community and mainstream services for people with various skills, experiences and backgrounds to work with diverse people impacted by family violence.

Be part of a team to make positive change with diverse communities. Visit the Family violence jobs portal to find jobs.

Intake and assessment

Family violence intake and assessment workers are focused on ensuring clients have access to the information and support they need to stay safe and recover from their experience of family violence. Family violence intake and assessment workers respond to calls, referrals and other modes of contact from or related to victim survivors of family violence. These services aim to assess and manage family violence risk, including triaging clients and coordinating associated crisis responses.

The nature, intensity and duration of the service response is tailored to the client’s risks and needs and may include one or a combination of the following:

• information and advice (including to families, the community and other professionals)
• risk and need assessments
• development of safety plans
• coordination of crisis responses
• referral to appropriate services for further support

Crisis intervention and support

Crisis intervention and support workers are trained in crisis intervention and provide (predominantly) telephone support to people who are experiencing or have experienced family violence. There are a range of measures crisis intervention and support workers can undertake including to:

• Provide immediate psychosocial and emotional support.
• Explore coping strategies and provide accurate information about rights.
• Safely manage any immediate threat to life or safety and talk about ways to improve safety.
• Open pathways for longer term solutions to including linkages and referrals to appropriate services.
• Access to safe emergency accommodation.
• Crisis intervention and support workers normally have a background as a Counsellor, Psychologist, Case Worker or Social Worker.

Practitioners/case management for victim survivors

A Specialist family violence practitioner/case manager for victim survivors works with people experiencing family violence to secure or advocate to secure the resources and supports required to address safety, wellbeing and recovery goals, including the safety and recovery of children and young people.

The role incorporates the management or coordination of the wide range of responses often needed to promote safety and wellbeing of victim-survivors, as well as the task-focused case work in support of case management goals. 

Practitioners address gender and power issues underlying the violence on both personal and social levels including:

• Supporting processes, such as legal avenues, to increase accountability of perpetrators.
• Continuously monitor the safety of victim survivors, providing high quality risk assessment and safety planning and activation of supports to help clients to achieve and sustain safety and manage risk.
• Providing a range of support services and intervention, both individual and group based.
• Effectively work with relevant service providers to support an integrated approach to referral pathways, protocols and joint initiatives in the family violence sector.
• Ensuring accurate client case notes/records and data collection.

Intake and assessment

Family violence intake and assessment workers are focused on ensuring clients have access to the assistance and information they need about the options and services available to them. Family violence intake and assessment workers respond to calls, referrals and other modes of contact from or related to users of family violence. These services aim to assess and manage family violence risk, including triaging clients and coordinating associated crisis responses. 

The nature, intensity and duration of the service response is tailored to the client’s risks and needs and may include one or a combination of the following:

• information and advice (including to families, the community, and other professionals)
• risk and need assessments including assessments of motivation, capacity and readiness to engage with services in change focused interventions
• family safety contact
• coordination of crisis responses
• referral to appropriate services for further support in beginning the behaviour change journey

Telephone Counselling

Telephone counselling provides an intervention whereby short-term strategies and counselling methods are focused on reducing risk to the victim survivor and connecting users of family violence to appropriate referral pathways. 

Telephone counselling can put perpetrators in touch with supports that can assist in the behavioural change journey. For example; telephone counsellors working directly with men include brief interventions and men’s accommodation and counselling services.

Men’s behaviour change (MBC)

The purpose of Men's Behaviour Change programs is to hold those using family violence to account for their violence, challenge their use of violence and keep women and children safe by monitoring and responding to the presented risk.

Groupwork facilitators work with the men in a psychoeducational group program for 20 weeks, facilitating groupwork, providing information about the impact of family violence, monitoring risk and safety and working towards changing abusive behaviours.

There are dedicated Aboriginal and LGBTIQ roles as well as state-wide mainstream coverage. There are also specific groups to help fathers make positive change in their attitudes, values and behaviours that lead to family violence.

Courses such as the Swinburne Graduate Certificate qualifies specialist practitioners to work directly with men in a range of interventions including groupwork and men’s case management: 

Case management

Tailored responses to individuals aim to address complex needs such as alcohol or drug misuse, mental health, physical health, and homelessness, which are possible barriers to engagement in family violence interventions.

Men’s case management programs aim to increase the safety of victim survivors.

There are dedicated Aboriginal and LGBTIQ roles as well as state-wide mainstream coverage.

Family safety contact

Family safety contact workers will work with the partner and family members, including children, if they are identified as being impacted by the person’s use of family violence, for the purposes of risk assessment and management, information sharing and referrals.

Counsellor Advocate, Sexual Assault Services

This role primarily provides counselling and advocacy services to victim survivors of sexual assault and their support people and to children and young people who have used problem sexual behaviours and/or sexually abusive behaviours, and their family. The role includes:

• providing counselling, advocacy & group work to victim-survivors of recent or past sexual assault
• working within a trauma informed practice framework to provide a range of therapeutic, counselling and advocacy services
• working with women, children, young people, men and people who identify as gender diverse who have experienced sexual assault
• providing immediate crisis support to victim survivors of recent sexual assault
• providing counselling support to supporting family members, partners or friends of victim survivors
• providing secondary consultation to other workers involved in working with victim survivors of sexual assault
• providing education and professional training to students, teachers, parents and community and professional groups to raise awareness of sexual assault.

Counsellor Advocate, Harmful Sexual Behaviours and Treatment Services

This role primarily provides treatment to children and young people who have used problem sexual behaviours and/or harmful sexual behaviours, and their family and includes:

• provision of therapeutic services and intervention to children and young people who engage in problematic or harmful sexual behaviours
• conducting assessments and facilitating trauma informed counselling and therapeutic group work
• participating and leading early interventions and professional education and training
• working therapeutically with the dynamics and effects of interpersonal trauma
• providing therapeutic interventions aiming to help children/young people to make a positive adjustment to their behaviour.

Primary prevention is about stopping family violence before it starts by addressing its root causes. Prevention workers contribute to broader social change that promotes healthy, respectful relationships and gender equality, and addresses other forms of discrimination so that we can prevent family violence.

Primary prevention practitioners specialise in designing, implementing and monitoring prevention of family violence initiatives and policy across different settings.

They undertake education, awareness raising and creative campaigns in schools, workplaces and in sports settings, develop healthy relationship, parenting and other programs for families and communities, contribute to policy and organisational change and advocate for wider social reform. Some specialise in this work, and others integrate prevention approaches as a part of their broader role.

These practitioners may work in dedicated primary prevention or gender equality agencies or organisations but, for the most part, work within a range of settings including local government, community health, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and women’s health organisations.

They are responsible for adopting a range of approaches to implement projects and programs and use a variety of actions including awareness raising, partnership development, community development, advocacy, structural and organisational development

Examples of primary prevention workers include:

• Senior Education and Engagement Practitioner
• Gender Equality Coordinator
• Prevention of Family Violence Team Leader
• Primary Prevention of Violence against Women Policy Advisor
• Education and Engagement Practitioner  
• Health Promotion Officer
• CALD Prevention Team Leader
• Senior Program Officer
• PVAW Co-ordinator
• Manager, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion.

Employed by many specialist family violence services, this role supports victim survivors in court settings by providing information, interim case management and emotional support.

The role is responsible for conducting risk assessments and court safety planning, liaising with court officials including the Family Violence Registrar, Applicant Workers, Court Support workers, police prosecutors and duty lawyers, providing advocacy and support within the court system and referrals to other support services.

An understanding of the Australian Law Court system with specific reference to the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia is essential.

Specialist family violence counsellors provide flexible, responsive counselling services to victim survivors.

The role entails one-to-one counselling for short- to medium-term periods including intake and assessment and the development of appropriate therapeutic interventions with women.

The ability to work collaboratively with a range of other practitioners and family violence specialists is essential.

The therapeutic framework for family violence counselling currently preferences strengths based, solution focused and trauma informed approaches.

The Orange Door is a new way for women, children and young people experiencing family violence and families in need of support with the care, wellbeing and development of children and young people, to access the services they need to be safe and supported.

It does not replace existing specialist services or responses but enables a new entry point. Importantly, The Orange Door has no restrictions or criteria for entry: contact is attempted for every adult client referred.

The Orange Door has been designed to:

• provide an integrated intake pathway to women’s and children’s family violence services, services for men who use violence and child and family services
• hold perpetrators to account by engaging and supporting them to participate in interventions that address the risk they pose and challenge their behaviour
• keep the whole of family in view with support tailored to each family member’s needs
• provide an integrated service response and connect people to a wide range of supports across the spectrum of prevention, early intervention, response and recovery.

For more information about working in The Orange Door and the types of roles available, visit our page Working at The Orange Door.

To access jobs at the Orange Door, visit the Family violence jobs portal.

Refuge case manager

This role provides a crisis response, refuge accommodation and support services to victim survivors who are escaping high risk family violence including:

• ensuring women and children have safe and secure accommodation in which their crisis support needs are met (intake, ongoing risk assessment and safety planning, case management, exit planning and post-exit support)
• advocating for clients with police, doctors, court, housing and other services.
• practical support such as providing material aid and transport to clients attending court and other appointments and services
• providing clear and accurate information about the legal system, Centrelink, housing, health and other relevant options available to women
• providing emotional and/or therapeutic support including to children
• general cleaning and setup of accommodation units and shared spaces
• conducting ‘house meetings’, group activities and managing dynamics between resident households.

Refuge - children’s worker

Like a refuge worker but with service delivery tailored exclusively to children and young people. This role entails planned interventions and actions with each child’s mother and in conjunction with the family’s refuge case manager whilst liaising and networking with relevant agencies such as schools and children’s support services.

Children’s workers aim to develop nurturing, positive relationships to assist each child to deal with their trauma-based responses.

Whilst different to children’s counsellors, essential to this role is an understanding of the impact of trauma and disrupted attachment on children, and familiarity with therapeutic interventions which promote healing, emotional growth and the development of positive attitudes and life skills.

Trainers and educators with family violence experience are needed to teach accredited and non-accredited training to emerging and existing workforces who work both directly and indirectly with family violence.

Public policy, research and evaluation roles coordinate, direct and oversee the development of strategic policy, in order to deliver outcomes and benefits related to an organisation's strategic direction.

Corporate services and administration roles manage the operational and strategic business requirements of the organisation. They include professions in Human Resource Management, Accounting and Finance, Information and Communications Technology, Administration, Communications & Marketing and Monitoring and Audit.

Leadership and management roles in the family violence sector can include executive, senior management, program management and team leading positions. Some organisations could also include project or program coordination roles. Many leadership and management skills can be transferable from other sectors.

​Current senior leaders within the family violence, and broader community services, sector can apply to participate in a Leadership Intensive program, which brings together public sector thought leaders, academia and the specialist sectors and broader social service sector to enhance change management capabilities and strengthen established leadership qualities. The Leadership Intensive program is run by the Future Social Service Institute.