Normal view MARC view ISBD view

Seeking help for domestic and family violence: Exploring regional, rural and remote women’s coping experiences : final report Sarah Wendt, Donna Chung, Alison Elder, Antonia Hendrick and Angela Hartwig

By: Wendt, Sarah.
Contributor(s): Chung, Donna | Elder, Alison | Hendrick, Antonia | Hartwig, Angela.
Material type: materialTypeLabelArticleSeries: ANROWS Horizons.Publisher: Sydney, NSW :: ANROWS, 2017Description: electronic document (78 pages); PDF file: 3.55 MB.ISSN: 2204-9665 (online).Subject(s): INDIGENOUS PEOPLES | FAMILY VIOLENCE | SEXUAL VIOLENCE | ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | HELP SEEKING | INFORMAL SUPPORTERS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS | INTERVENTION | INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE | JUSTICE | PERPETRATORS | POLICE | RURAL AREAS | SUPPORT SERVICES | VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | WOMEN'S REFUGES | AUSTRALIAOnline resources: Click here to access online | Project webpage ANROWS Horizons, Issue 6, September 2017Summary: This report presents the results of a qualitative study examining the experiences of women seeking help for domestic and family violence who live in regional, rural, and remote areas in Australia. The study contributes to the limited evidence on how geographical and social isolation shapes women’s coping with, and decisions to seek assistance for, domestic and family violence, and their efforts to live safely. Key findings: Most women explained they were not negatively affected by geographical isolation; that is, they did not see physical distance as a barrier to accessing services. Geographical isolation was only a factor for women who lived on isolated properties outside the regional centre. Geographical isolation was a key issue for managers and practitioners, as it significantly shaped specialist domestic and family violence agency responses and work contexts. There is little or no help for men who use violence in regional, rural, and remote places outside a police or court response. All sites reported that, because crisis response and risk management dominated the work, “the hub” often lacked the staff, time, and resources to do outreach work, making it much harder to provide services and support to smaller townships and properties across large geographical distances. (From the website). See also the summary Compass report (#5591) and the previously published literature review, Landscapes report (#4805). Access the website for more background information on this project. Record #5590
Item type Current location Call number Status Date due Barcode
Access online Access online Family Violence library
Online Available ON17090017

ANROWS Horizons, Issue 6, September 2017

This report presents the results of a qualitative study examining the experiences of women seeking help for domestic and family violence who live in regional, rural, and remote areas in Australia. The study contributes to the limited evidence on how geographical and social isolation shapes women’s coping with, and decisions to seek assistance for, domestic and family violence, and their efforts to live safely. Key findings:

Most women explained they were not negatively affected by geographical isolation; that is, they did not see physical distance as a barrier to accessing services.
Geographical isolation was only a factor for women who lived on isolated properties outside the regional centre.
Geographical isolation was a key issue for managers and practitioners, as it significantly shaped specialist domestic and family violence agency responses and work contexts.
There is little or no help for men who use violence in regional, rural, and remote places outside a police or court response.
All sites reported that, because crisis response and risk management dominated the work, “the hub” often lacked the staff, time, and resources to do outreach work, making it much harder to provide services and support to smaller townships and properties across large geographical distances. (From the website). See also the summary Compass report (#5591) and the previously published literature review, Landscapes report (#4805). Access the website for more background information on this project. Record #5590