Insights to improve support systems for children and young people's wellbeing.
On this page you will find:
Are you looking for
(Family Safety Victoria, 2021)
Trigger warning: Some viewers may find the content in the film distressing as it contains detailed descriptions of family violence, abuse, neglect and suicide involving children and young people.
Childhood experiences of domestic and family violence and related service system contact among young people who die by suicide (Summary report) | Meyer., S & Atiénzar-Prieto., M., 2026 | Access full article
This study examines whether young people who died by suicide had experienced domestic and family violence and the extent to which they were visible to support services at different points in their lives, highlighting missed opportunities for earlier intervention.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians aged 15 to 24, with rates among young people rising over the past two decades. Research also shows that at least one in three Australian children grow up in households affected by domestic and family violence (DFV). While links between DFV and suicide have been explored mainly in adult populations, less is known about the relationship between childhood experiences of DFV and youth suicide in Australia.
This study helps address that gap by examining DFV histories among children and young people aged up to 17 who died by suicide in Queensland in 2020 and 2021, and their contact with service systems over time. Rather than assessing the nature of statutory responses, it identifies opportunities for earlier recognition, holistic assessment and referral that acknowledge children as victim-survivors in their own right.
Left behind: Systemic inquiry into responses to children and young people who are the subject of multiple reports to Child Protection | The Commission for Children and Young People | 18 May 2026 | Access full report
This report highlights that although all children should grow up in safe, supportive environments, many in Victoria still experience harm. Children caught in this cycle often face family violence, neglect, and ongoing disadvantage, and there are frequent missed opportunities for early intervention.
The report calls for system-wide improvements, including:
Inquiry into the relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence and suicideThe Centre’s submission provides an evidence-informed overview of the complex relationship between domestic, family and sexual violence (DFSV) and suicide, viewed through a child and family services lens. It draws on research, sector insights and lived experience to highlight how children, caregivers and family systems are affected by intersecting risks that are too often overlooked in policy and practice. By bringing together key findings and implications, the resource aims to strengthen understanding, support more coordinated responses, and advocate for child- and family-centred approaches that reduce harm, enhance safety, and improve outcomes across systems | Read submission
Tug of war | Jack*, 2025 | Read moreExplores how loyalty conflicts, fear, and pressure shape children’s relationships with adults around them.
Children’s Voices for Change Project(Joint project with Southern Cross University, Swinburne, Safe and Equal, and Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare)This report presents the findings of the project, which engaged with children and young people as family violence experts by experience, to build an evidence base that strengthens understanding of the diversity and distinctiveness of children’s experiences of family violence and service response | Access report
Coercive control and situational couple violence in families with child protection involvement: A case-file analysis | Ulrike Marwitz, Daryl J. Higgins and Thomas Whelan, 2024 | Read moreThis study analyses child protection case files to distinguish coercive control from situational couple violence and examines how these patterns shape risk, child safety, and intervention outcomes.
Filicide: Implications of new research for practice | Thea C. Brown; Danielle Tyson; Paula Fernandez Arias, 2025 | Read moreThis article synthesises new Australian research on filicide and outlines key predictors, risk patterns, and systemic gaps identified in coronial and case review material.
Revisiting cumulative harm: Reflecting on new research insights, legislative developments and coronial evidence as a road map for next steps | India Bryce, 2024 | Read moreThis review revisits the concept of cumulative harm through recent research, legislative changes, and coronial findings, making the case that cumulative harm remains an under-recognised driver of poor outcomes for children.
The Australian Child Maltreatment Study | The ACMS Study, 2023 | Read moreThis first large-scale Australian study reports on the prevalence of child maltreatment, including child sexual abuse, its association with mental illness and its impact on health risk behaviours and conditions.
Exposure to intimate partner violence and the physical and emotional abuse of children | Australian Institute of Criminology, 2023 | Read moreThis research report presents findings from a survey of 3775 female carers, focusing on children’s exposure to intimate partner violence and the carers’ experiences of physical and emotional abuse.
In Their Own Right: Actions to improve children and young people’s safety from domestic, family and sexual violence | ANROWS, 2024 | Read moreThis guide outlines key actions for consistent and effective policy responses for children and young people experiencing violence, who are often overlooked by the systems and services meant to support their safety.
Our Future, Our Narrative | Berry Street Y-Change | Access resources As part of the this project, Berry Street Y-Change has launched two illustrated resources developed by children and young people, which creates a platform for the reflections and recommendations of children and young people impacted by family, domestic and sexual violence.
‘We have a part to play’: How children and young people want adults to engage them in the primary prevention of child abuse and maltreatment | Tim Moore; Morag McArthur, 2024 | Read moreThis article shares the perspectives of children and young people on their role in prevention of abuse and maltreatment.
A literature review of therapeutic intervention with young survivors of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect Mary Jo McVeigh, 2025 | Read moreReviews therapeutic approaches for young survivors and highlights a persistent gap between adult centred evaluation and children’s lived experiences.
*NEW* ‘We’re talking about stopping violence before it begins’: Supporting Quality Engagement with Children victim survivors of family violenceReport by Australian Human Right Commission, May 2026 | AccessThis report shares insights from over 300 children and young people across Australia who took part in the Supporting Quality Engagement with Children (SQE) project. It highlights how children understand safe and positive relationships, where they seek information and support, and what more is needed to help them feel safe. It emphasises the importance of centring children’s voices in prevention and policy.
*NEW* Young people, online worlds and respectful relationships education: What the research tells usOur Watch, May 2026 | AccessThis research summary aims to inform the design and development of evidence-based teaching and learning materials that are relevant to and supportive of children and young people, to enable respectful, equitable, inclusive and safe relationships. This research in collaboration with Our Watch and The University of Melbourne’s Youth Research Collective finds young people are forming attitudes about gender, sex and relationships earlier than ever, while navigating growing risks in online environments.
Seen Safe Supported: A new way to meet the needs of young victim survivors of family violence
Report by FVREE, April 2026 | AccessSeen Safe Supported is a youth informed service blueprint that proposes a new way of working, one that can operate at both service and system levels. It aims to shift the conversation from understanding the problem to implementing responses that meaningfully improve safety, access and long term outcomes for young people experiencing family violence.
Commissioner Micaela Cronin delivers a keynote address yesterday at the Australian Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance conference in Brisbane30th April 2026 | Read the full media releaseThe Commissioner emphasised that children and young people involved in the youth justice system require support to heal from the harm they have experienced, rather than having that harm compounded by the criminal justice system. While acknowledging the harm that some young people in the youth justice system can cause, the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission maintains that supporting traumatised children to recover is not a “soft option,” but a critical component of the long-term prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence.“A system that responds to trauma with punishment does not reduce harm – it compounds it. We need a trauma-informed approach to youth justice that addresses the harm that many of these young people have experienced.”
Seeking help in their own right: Young victim-survivors’ experiences of family violence crisis responses in Victoria | Safe Steps, 2025 | Read more
New Ways for Our Families: Designing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural practice framework and system responses to address the impacts of domestic and family violence on children and young people | ANROWS, 2022 | Read moreThis research explores how services can better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people experiencing domestic and family violence who come into contact with child protection systems. It responds to gaps in current approaches that often lead to separation and limited support for healing.
Amplify: Turning up the volume on young people and family violence | Melbourne City Mission, 2021 | Read moreThis project seeks to understand the service system gaps for young people who are experiencing family violence in the home or from an intimate partner and aims to map a way forward.
You can’t pour from an empty cup | ANROWS, 2019 | Read moreResearch findings about the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who have both experienced domestic and family violence and had contact with the child protection system.
Looking for more? Check out the full catalogue of resources on this topic
Top
(Joint project with Southern Cross University, Swinburne, Safe and Equal, and Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, 2024) | Read resourceFind a range of resources related to this project, including key findings, recommendations, practitioner insights, children’s needs and experiences and others | Visit the website
Based on the report, this knowledge translation resource includes:
CHANGE Children’s Feedback Tool Funded by the Victorian Government, the Tool has been created alongside, and informed by the insights, experiences and ideas of, children and young people with lived experience of family violence. The Tool is a practical, interactive resource for practitioners, organisations and government agencies working with children and young people who have experienced family violence | Check it out
Also see: Webinars related to ‘Voices for Change’ project
Providing tailored and inclusive support | Safe and Equal, 2025 Information for practitioners on understanding impacts, risk and safety considerations, signs of family violence, practice considerations, as well as tools and resources. This paper guides practitioners in delivering services that meet the safety and support needs of children and young people | Check it out!
Harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people | SASVic, Read moreInformation and resources about harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people aimed at parents and carers which covers: what is normal sexual behaviour in children and young people? When is sexual behaviour in children and young people harmful? What do I do if my child is displaying these behaviours?
Related page: Child sexual abuse and exploitation
Supporting children and young people experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence | ANROWS, 2026 Designed for frontline workers, offering practical, evidence-informed prompts. Particularly relevant for practitioners working in regional and rural contexts, where service gaps, confidentiality risks and workforce pressures shape how support is delivered. | Check it out!
Connecting the dots | ANROWS, 2023 | Read moreConnecting the dots is a strengths-based practice framework for responding to the needs and priorities of children and young people with disability who experience domestic and family violence.
AVITH Collaborative Practice Framework | ANROWS, 2023 | Read moreThis resource outlines the pillars, principles and enablers of collaborative practice in responding to young people and their families experiencing adolescent violence in the home (AVITH). For more resources, practice guides and information related to AVITH, check out our AVITH Knowledge Hub.
Safe and Secure Practice Guide | ACF, 2023 | Read moreSafe and Secure is a practical, evidence-informed guide for adults who care for or work with children affected by family and domestic violence. It explains how early experiences of harm can impact children’s development, behaviour and relationships—and what adults can do to support healing.
Statewide Children’s Resource Program | View all resources
The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) family violence fact sheet | VACCA, 2022 | Read moreAn overview of family violence, including statistics that highlight the disproportionate impact of family violence on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.
PERCS conversation guide | Emerging Minds, 2021 | Read moreDesigned to support specialist and non-specialist practitioners to have collaborative, respectful conversations with parent–clients about how family violence can affect the whole family. It recognises that all parents want to be the best parent they can be, even in the context of family violence, and that collaborating with parents is the most effective way to support a child’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Got something your organisation would like to share? Please get in touch!
The impact of using an infant and child-led therapeutic approach in providing in situ consultations and transferable learnings to key workers working with families identified as at risk: A retrospective Australian study | Bunston, W., Long, M., Frederico, M., Ware, S., & O’Brien, A., 2025 | Read moreThis paper reports on a retrospective, qualitative evaluation of an ‘infant and child-led’ therapeutic family practice approach undertaken by an infant-mental-health-trained family therapist between 2013 and 2023 with early years service providers working with families deemed to be ‘at risk’ within the Western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.
Bunston, W., Eyre, K., Carlsson, A., & Pringle, K. (2016). Evaluating relational repair work with infants and mothers impacted by family violence. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 49(1), 113-133 | Access
Bunston, W., Pavlidis, T., & Cartwright, P. (2015). Children, Family Violence and Group Work: Some Do’s and Don’ts in Running Therapeutic Groups with Children Affected by Family Violence. Springer Science. | Access
Bunston, W., Haufe, D. J., Wallis, J. R., Fletcher, R., & Mether, A. J. (2022). Once upon a Pandemic: ‘Online’ Therapeutic Groupwork for Infants and Mothers Impacted by Family Violence. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(23), 16143 | Access
Bunston, W., & Glennen, K. (2008). ‘BuBs’ on Board: Family Violence and Mother/Infant Work in Women’s Shelters. Parity, 21(8), 27-28 | Access
Bunston, W., & Millard, P. | Understanding the Life of a Group: an ‘extended’ developmental perspective. Australian Social Work Journal | Access
Bunston, W., & Crean., H. (1999) | Supporting Children and Young People Affected by Family Violence. Parents Accepting Responsibility —Kids Are Safe (PARKAS). Victorian Government Department of Human Services | Access
Hewitt., L. (2002). Helping children who have experienced family violence. A discussion of the issues raised by the PARKAS program. Children Australia Volume 27, No. 4 | Access
Suggested practitioner reading list
Allen, J. G., Fonagy, P., & Bateman, A. W. (2008). Mentalizing in clinical practice. American Psychiatric Publishing.
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss. Basic Books.
Box, S., Copley, B., Magagna, J., & Moustaki, E. (Eds.). (1981). Psychotherapy with families: An analytic approach. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Brandt, K., Perry, B. D., Seligman, S., & Tronick, E. (Eds.). (2014). Infant and early childhood mental health: Core concepts and clinical practice. American Psychiatric Publishing.
Bunston, W. (2017). Helping babies and children aged 0–6 to heal after family violence: A practical guide to infant- and child-led work. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Bunston, W. (1998) PARKAS Manual. Parents Accepting Responsibility Kids Are Safe. Royal Children’s Hospital.
Bunston, W., & Jones, S. J. (Eds.). (2019). Supporting vulnerable babies and young children: Interventions for working with trauma, mental health, illness and other complex challenges. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Fraiberg, S. (1959). The magic years: Understanding and handling the problems of early childhood. Scribner.
Holmes, J. (1993). John Bowlby and attachment theory. Routledge.
Meares, R. (2005). The metaphor of play: Origin and breakdown of personal being. Routledge.
Music, G. (2024). Womb Life. Wonders and Challenges of Pregnancy, The Foetus’s Journey and Birth. Mind-Nurturing Books, London.
Parkes, C. M., Stevenson-Hinde, J., & Marris, P. (Eds.). (1993). Attachment across the life cycle. Routledge.
Stern, D. N. (1985). The interpersonal world of the infant: A view from psychoanalysis and developmental psychology. Basic Books.
Thomson-Salo, F., & Campbell, P. (Eds.). (2014). The baby as subject. Routledge.
Zeanah, C. H., Jr. (Ed.). (1993). Handbook of infant mental health. Guilford Press.
Webinars
Infant and child-led therapeutic approaches following family violence25 June, 2026 | 12:30pm-1:30pm | Online | FREE
Infants and young children are often the reason services become involved with families experiencing risk (e.g. family violence, child protection concerns), yet their voices are frequently overlooked in everyday practice. This session will highlight that centering infants and children, explicitly and practically, improves family engagement, deepens worker empathy, and strengthens practice, even when time and resources are limited.
Frontline workers can bring a powerful infant‑ and child‑led lens into everyday interactions by slowing down, observing, wondering, and keeping the child’s perspective central—with or without a specialist present.
Featuring Dr Wendy Bunston, Emeritus Professor Margarita Frederico, Dr Maureen Long, Caitlin D and Waleska Parrino.
Find recorded conversations focusing on effective supports and programs for families and children experiencing or recovering from family violence and/or sexual violence, looking at both prevention and response.
Topics include:
Training
Training opportunities to enhance the knowledge and skills you need when working with children and young people who have experienced domestic, family and sexual violence.
Back to main FVSV Hub
The information provided on this Family Violence Sexual Violence Knowledge Hub is curated to be the most recent and relevant available. While the content is continually being developed and will be regularly updated to reflect the latest insights and best practices, these resources are not exhaustive. While we strive to maintain the accuracy and timeliness of the information, we encourage users to check back frequently for new and refreshed materials, and to contact the relevant peak body if you would like more information about family violence, sexual violence and/or working with children and families in this context.
