Thanks for your patience while we build this page.
Research on how factors such as mental health, alcohol and other drug use, and gambling impact violence, as well as practice resources to support cultural safety, disability and work with LGBTIQ+ communities.
Jump to:
Inclusive practice with LGBTIQA+ communities
Research here and internationally suggests LGBTIQA+ people experience sexual, family and/or intimate partner violence at the same rate – or even higher – rates than women in the broader population. [1] Yet there can be barriers for LGBTIQA+ communities seeking support for family and intimate partner violence. [2]
Sources[1] Say It Out Loud [2] Rainbow Door
Alcohol, gambling and gendered violence
“Alcohol is involved in between 23% and 65% of all police-reported family violence incidents. In 2021-22, 47% of women who were sexually assaulted by a man in the past decade said alcohol or another substance contributed to the most recent incident” (FARE, 2025).
Gambling is an important consideration in our work with families and couples experiencing violence. It is believed that family violence is “three times more likely to occur in families in which there is significant harm from gambling, compared with families with no harm from gambling” (Women’s Health in the North ).
Addressing the link between gambling and family violence: Submission to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee | NTV, 2021 | Read reportIn NTV’s submission to the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into the Victorian Auditor-General’s reports no. 99: Follow up of Regulating Gambling and Liquor (2019) and no. 213: Reducing the Harm Caused by Gambling (2021), No to Violence (NTV) they explored the progress that has been made towards addressing the link between gambling and family violence.
Living with the consequences of an intimate partner’s drinking | Tanyos et al., 2026 | Read journal articleKey findings indicate that heavy alcohol use within intimate relationships drives recurring, interconnected harms that disproportionately affect women and undermine their wellbeing. Behaviour change programs should explicitly address the role of alcohol use, challenging both men and women to reject intoxication as a justification for intimate partner violence (IPV). Routine screening for alcohol-related IPV should also be integrated into healthcare and community service settings.
Alcohol other drugs and family violence | Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre, 2019 | Read factsheet
ESTIE Practice Resource | Ministry of Health NSW & The University of Melbourne, 2022 | Read moreThe Evidence to Support Safe & Together Implementation and Evaluation (ESTIE) practice resource supports workers responding to families affected by domestic and family violence, mental health challenges, and alcohol and other drug use. It provides practical guidance to strengthen foundational knowledge across health and community settings.
The dangerous combination of gambling and domestic and family violence against women | ANROWS, 2020 | ReadA practice guide developed to build the capacity of workers in the domestic and family violence (DFV), gambling help and financial counselling sectors in order to support women who have been affected by DFV (including economic abuse) from a male partner, where the DFV is linked to the woman’s or her male partner’s gambling.
Increasing the odds for safety and respect | Women’s Health in the North, 2017 | Read factsheetProvides a summary of information on the links between gambling-related harm and family violence.
Establishing the connection: Guidelines for practitioners and clinicians in the sexual assault and alcohol and other drug sectors | AIFS, 2016 | Access guideThese guidelines have been developed to build the capacity of workers in the sexual assault and alcohol and other drug (AOD) sectors in Victoria to support shared clients who experience both sexual assault trauma and substance use issues.
Gambling harm and intimate partner violence | ANROWS, 2020 | Read reportThere has been little examination of the connection between gambling and coercive control and economic abuse. This research looks at the relationship between gambling and intimate partner violence against women. The authors found that while gambling does not directly cause IPV, it exacerbates it in serious ways, and that economic abuse is highly prevalent among women experiencing gambling-related intimate partner violence.
Understanding perpetrators of violence and the connections to AOD | InsightWednesday 3 June, 10-11am | FREEThis webinar will focus of the intersect between Domestic and Family Violence and Alcohol and Other Drugs for people who use violence. More info and register
View all presentations and discussions on the intersection of alcohol, gambling and gendered violence.
Top
Work with multicultural communities
Working with interpreters in the family violence sector in Australia: “It’s very hard to be in between” | Sullivan, C., Block, K., Murray, L., Warr D., Chen, J., Davis, E., Murdolo, A., & Vaughan, C, 2023 | Read more
Multicultural and Settlement services Supporting women experiencing violence: The MuSeS project | ANROWS, 2020 | Read more
Promoting community-led responses to violence against immigrant and refugee women in metropolitan and regional Australia. The ASPIRE Project: Key findings and future directions | ANROWS, 2016 | Read more
ASPIRE: A multi-site community-based participatory research project to increase understanding of the dynamics of violence against immigrant and refugee women in Australia | Vaughan, C., Murdolo, A., Murray, L., Davis, E., Chen, J., Block, K., Quiazon, R., & Warr, D, 2015 | Read more
Webinars
Multicultural and settlement services supporting women experiencing violence | ANROWS, 2020 | Access here
This webinar unpacks ANROWS research, ‘Multicultural and settlement services supporting women experiencing violence: The MuSeS project’.
The expert panel of researchers and practitioners discuss:
Women from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities face particular barriers to accessing services. This video explores techniques for working in a culturally competent way to ensure services are accessible. It includes information about forced marriage. | Access
The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Projects with Action Research (CALD PAR) initiative comprised 26 action research projects: 18 focused on primary prevention of violence against women and 8 focused on creating safer pathways to crisis and support services for victims and survivors. This summary of key findings highlights ten key insights from the initiative, offering practical guidance for working effectively with CALD communities. | Access here
This resource is for family violence practitioners, and is part of a series on best practice when working with victim-survivors of family violence who are from migrant and refugee backgrounds. It outlines some of the common issues faced by women on temporary visas who are experiencing family violence. It also covers some practical tips for support and referrals. | Access here
Strengthening Communities: Understanding Family Violence & Healthy Relationships | inTouch 29 June, 10:00am – 4:00pm | In-person | FREE | Register hereThis session aims to strengthen existing leadership capacity, by providing practical tools, shared language, and culturally responsive approaches to preventing and responding to family violence. Specifically for Victorian Based Organisations; Multicultural Sector Workers, Community Leaders and Faith Based Leaders.
Working with CALD Men Who Use Violence | inTouch19 June, 10-11;30am | Online | Register hereThis Community of Practice (CoP) focusses on strengthening responses to men from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds who use violence.
When the system doesn’t speak your language | inTouch15 July, 10-11:30am | Online | Register here When the system doesn’t speak your language, safety, help-seeking and justice become significantly harder to access — and the risks for Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM) women multiply.
Mental health and disability
The REACH Project | University of Melbourne, SAS Vic & Women with Disabilities Vic | 2024 | Read moreInformed and guided by people with lived experience of sexual assault, this project focused on better understanding of what helps people to recover and heal after sexual violence.
Changing the Landscape: A national resource to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities | Our Watch & Women with Disabilities Victoria, 2022 | Read reportBuilds on Change the story to deepen the understanding of violence against women and girls with disabilities and its dynamics and impacts.
Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of LGBTQA+ people with disability: a secondary analysis of data from two national surveys | La Trobe University, 2022 | Download
Providing tailored and inclusive support | Safe and Equal, 2025 | Access all materialsResponses to family violence must be inclusive, tailored and flexible, recognising each victim’s unique experiences and needs. This page guides practitioners in delivering services that meet the safety and support needs of diverse communities.
Supporting people with disability | Go to
You can download copies and order print copies of several resources | Read more
What is Family Violence? Tipsheet for persons with disabilityDisability Family Violence Crisis Response InitiativeDisability – My safety planDisability – What is a refuge?Disability – What is a Family Violence Intervention Order?
Prefer to hear information by listening to discussions and presentations on this topic?
Back to the main FVSV Hub
Information and resources provided on this Family Violence Sexual Violence Knowledge Hub are curated to be the most recent and relevant available. The content is continually being developed and will be regularly updated to reflect the latest insights and best practices. While we strive to maintain the accuracy and timeliness of the information, we encourage users to check back frequently for new and refreshed materials.
