Victim Support makes submission on Family and Sexual Violence National Strategy

2021: Submission on Violence Free Aotearoa National Strategy

Victim Support welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to guide the government’s violence free Aotearoa National Strategy and Action Plans. We support the strategy and the seven action points to prevent family and sexual violence, and there is much work to be done.

Our submission is informed by our work with the full spectrum of adult family violence clients, including many who slip through the cracks between other services, such as whānau affected by "low risk" family harm, male victims, and intra-familial violence (IFV) victims - those harmed by a family member who is not their intimate partner.

In our submission we provide feedback from our frontline Whānau Support Workers to help shape the focus areas, including:

• Those who could fall through the cracks
• Early intervention
• Cultural responsiveness
• Building trust
• Eliminating fear
• No wrong door
• Range of engagement options
• Victim/whānau-led support
• Systemic changes

Read Victim Support's submission on Violence Free Aotearoa National Strategy.