Family violence services

What is family violence?#

Family (or domestic) violence is a crime, and everyone has the right to be safe in their family relationships. It is any threatening, coercive, dominating or abusive behaviour between people in a family, domestic or intimate relationship, or former relationship, that causes the person experiencing it to feel fear.

It includes emotional, psychological, physical, sexual and financial abuse, and it can have an enormous impact on the physical and mental health of victim-survivors, with effects sometimes felt for many years.

Family violence is most commonly used by men against their current or former partners, but it can take many forms, including:

• abuse in intimate relationships between people of all genders
• parent or step-parent abuse of a child (a form of child abuse)
• abuse of a person with disability by a carer, who may or may not be a family member
• older children or young people abusing their parents, siblings or other family members
• adult children abusing their parents
• abuse of older people by family members or carers (also known as elder abuse)
• abuse within kinship or “family of choice” relationships.

Family violence is a complex issue, and people experiencing it need individual support and access to specialist services.

Getting help in an emergency#

In an emergency, if you, a child or another person is in immediate danger, always call your local emergency number (for example 911 in the US and Canada, 112 across the EU and many countries, 999 in the UK, or 000 in Australia) for police or ambulance.

Types of support available#

A range of services can help people make changes and choices for the future. Depending on where you live, these may include:

• Crisis response services that provide confidential information, counselling, safety planning and crisis accommodation, often 24 hours a day. These are usually the best first point of contact for someone who wants to leave a violent relationship or family situation, and they can act quickly in urgent situations.
• National counselling lines offering confidential information, referrals, support and counselling for anyone who has experienced, or is at risk of, family violence or sexual assault.
• Services for migrant and refugee communities, providing support in a person’s first language.
• Services led by and for some communities, offering culturally safe crisis help, advocacy and ongoing support.
• Legal services offering advice, information, referral and support for people at risk of, experiencing or recovering from family violence or sexual assault.
• Specialist support for LGBTIQA+ people of all ages and their families, including help with relationship issues, intimate partner violence, elder abuse and sexual assault.
• Integrated support hubs that bring together family violence services, child and family services, and services for people who use violence, often with no referral needed.

Many of these services also offer outreach programs that work with people to develop safety plans for themselves and their children, along with financial counselling, information on options and resources, referral to other services, and case management.

Refuges and shelters#

Many organizations provide safe and secure refuges, shelters or emergency accommodation for people and children escaping family violence. They can offer emotional support, legal assistance, help finding permanent housing and help applying for benefits.

The location of some refuges is kept confidential to protect the safety of residents, so referral is usually arranged through a crisis response service. Additional emergency housing is also provided independently by various community organizations; this accommodation varies in the level of support offered, the length of stay allowed, and what is asked of residents.

Where to get help#