Safe and together
January 22, 2025
Anglicare’s investment in training its Community Services team members is enhancing the support they provide to victim-survivors of family and domestic violence, including children.
Late last year, Anglicare rolled out training in the Safe and Together model to both leaders and practitioners who work on the front line in a variety of family programs.
The model is an evidence-based framework developed by the Safe & Together Institute that prioritises child safety, holds perpetrators accountable and empowers non-offending parents.
Senior Program Manager Families, Children and Young People, Tameeka Crawford, visited Anglicare Victoria last year to learn about the model, and was convinced it would transfer well to Tasmania.
“It’s been exciting to see our team learning practical tools and starting to look at everything they do through a family violence lens,” she said.
“It’s encouraged us to identify and focus on the strengths of the non-offending parents and to understand how we can better support them to protect and care for their children.
“And it will enable us to drive better outcomes for both the care-givers and children who engage with us across our programs.”
Practitioners are confident that the training they’ve received will help them to make a positive difference in their clients’ lives. Their feedback included the following comments:
“I support non-offending parents and children who have been affected by family violence. A lot of work in Anglicare’s Pathway Home program is around supporting the family alongside Child Safety Services.”
“I found the information provided around documenting and case planning helpful, such as looking deeper into what is happening for families, using appropriate language, and partnering with non-offending parents to provide support.”
“This training will make me more mindful and aware of the dynamics at play, helping me focus on identifying and documenting strengths and patterns of behaviour.”
PIC: Child and Family practitioners (from left) Bec, Rachael and Kirby use the Safe and Together resources in their daily work.
More information
Anglicare Tasmania’s Social Action and Research Centre published a paper last year that outlined the barriers to reducing harm from family and domestic violence in the State’s North West. Unsafe and Unhoused was informed by discussions with practitioners from Anglicare’s RAIN program.
More information about the Safe and Together model is available here.
