Government Partnering with Government to Prevent Violence

Violence – or the risk of violence – is a fundamental concern across all levels and areas of government. For instance:

• Correctional facilities are an obvious area of risk. Prisoners and detainees often have violent backgrounds – and confinement itself can make an incident of violence or self-harm more likely.
• Police may deal with similar individuals, with a higher need to intervene when violence is already occurring.
• Child protection agencies are working with families facing serious and complex challenges which place children at risk of ongoing harm.
• Schools grapple with violence every day.

Other branches of government also have a role to play.

As violence prevention specialists, we are uniquely positioned to provide forward-looking, tailored support to all levels of government.

Evidence and Policy Development & Advice

The best policies are evidence-based and practical to implement.

At the Violence Prevention Institute, we balance academic rigour and real-world practicality.

We offer a unique combination of expertise – knowledge of what works – plus an understanding of how to implement in the field and at scale.

We can help you gather and present the evidence you need to drive effective policy changes and evaluate the impacts of those.

We are also experienced writing Cabinet Submissions and Parliamentary Papers, and consultation documents.

Impact Assessment for Legislative Change

As society and circumstances change, so too does the law.

But making the law ‘better’ is not always easy. Society is complex and change often has unintended consequences. We assist by assessing and modelling the impact of proposed legislation before implementation and can help you identify factors you may have overlooked or underestimated. This means laws are less likely to have unintended negative consequences.

Review and Adaptation of Risk Assessment Tools

Every government in the world grapples with the issue of violence. Countries like the US, Canada and the UK have developed tools and protocols to assess risk and manage violence. Australia often adopts these tools, but what works well in one place may not work well in another.

For example, there are several tools which assess the risk of intimate partner violence, including the risk of intimate partner homicide.

• Can these tools be applied in Australia?
• How do we decide which tool is most appropriate for our country and our society?
• Should tools be adapted to our society, and how?
• Should we develop our own tool, and how do we do that?
• Are the tools we are using actually working?

We provide expert advice, analysis and recommendations to support you in making the best choice.