Centre Against Domestic Abuse to Support Women in Moreton

The Centre Against Domestic Abuse (CADA) will lead a new High Risk Team being established in the Moreton and Caboolture area as the Queensland Government continues its push to keep victims of domestic and family violence safe.

Member for Morayfield Mark Ryan said the new High Risk Team was on track to start operating in early 2019 and would undertake complex risk assessment and safety planning to keep local women and their children safe from serious or potentially lethal violence.

“CADA will receive $210,000 per annum in funding each year over three years to coordinate the work of the Moreton High Risk Team to help make sure women and children are kept safe,” he said.

“This service is extremely well placed to coordinate the Moreton High Risk Team with a strong understanding of domestic and family violence as well as local issues.

“They have experience in undertaking multi-agency risk assessments and safety planning in the region and have experience working with both the victims and perpetrators of domestic and family violence, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as well as those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.”

Mr Ryan said the new High Risk Team would consist of agencies, organisations and private practitioners all working better together.

“This means women and children who are impacted by domestic and family violence will receive quality, consistent support,” he said.

“We know that one agency on its own often will not have all the pieces of the puzzle needed to keep women and children safe and that’s why it’s crucial we work together.”

Minister for Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Di Farmer said officers from key agencies including police, health, corrections, housing, child safety and a range of other non-government services who respond to domestic violence would make up the new team.

“By putting a range of different agencies together, we can get a much better view of what’s happening in any given situation, because each agency has a piece of the puzzle,” Ms Farmer said.

“When you put all those pieces together, the High Risk Team can see the big picture and more accurately assess the risk for victims, and that means when urgent support is needed the team can act swiftly to get women and children out of danger.

“We also need to make sure perpetrators are kept front and centre and are held to account for their actions.”

The new Moreton High Risk Team is the latest of eight domestic and family violence high risk teams being established in a trial of different locations across Queensland.

Ms Farmer said delivering on this service demonstrated the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to addressing domestic and family violence.

“The community will not stand for family violence any more, which is why we will continue to implement recommendations from the Not Now, Not Ever report, and invest in critical services in our communities.”

Ms Farmer said high risk teams were currently operating in Logan-Beenleigh, Cherbourg, Mount Isa, Brisbane, Cairns and Ipswich. Mackay, along with Moreton Bay (Caboolture), is commencing operations in early 2019.

For more information on the Queensland Government’s actions to tackle domestic and family violence go to www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/end-domestic-and-family-violence

ENDS

Media Contact:          Minister Farmer’s office          3719 7336