The Patricia Project – Child Protection and Family Violence Collaboration

This multi-site two-year project, concluding at the end of 2016, explores the relationship between statutory child protection, family law, and community‐based services who seek to support women and children exposed to domestic violence.

The overarching research question is: What are the elements that facilitate differential pathways and appropriate service system support for the safety and well-being of women and children living with and separating from family violence in an integrated intervention system?

Children’s service pathways will be examined using NSW, Western Australian and Victorian administrative datasets. The findings, together with an international scoping review, case studies focussing on collaborative work in five states, and a ‘case reading’ process developed by David Mandel (as part of the Safe and Together resources (http://endingviolence.com/) will be synthesised to strengthen the co-design of the service systems in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and WA.

The research will be supported and driven by an Advisory Group with participants from government and non-government agencies who will meet over the life of the project in three major workshops.