We’re calling for substantial funding for frontline specialist sexual assault services

This Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we’re calling on the Victorian Government to invest in rights, recovery and respect for survivors of sexual violence at the upcoming Victorian state budget on 20 May. As part of our campaign, we’re calling for funding for frontline specialist sexual assault services.

Our frontline workers provide highly specialised, life-changing support to survivors and others impacted by sexual violence.

This work is vital but services struggle to meet the need for support to recover.

We need enough skilled Counsellor Advocates so that everyone who wants to see a counsellor can and we can work with our communities to prevent and respond to sexual violence.

What do we need to achieve this?

Frontline workers in the specialist sexual assault sector hold a huge amount of practice expertise but there is no formal pathway to build the capacity of our future workforce.

A formalised training program for new workers would help us meet the need for services and support the sustainability of the workforce.

Counsellor Advocates receive almost daily calls from schools needing help to respond to school-based child sexual abuse and harm.

By developing an emergency response, in collaboration with the Department of Education, we can support children, their families and teachers, as well as prevent future harm.

We need resourcing and government support to achieve this.

How do we know what works?

This month, the ‘Inquiry into capturing data on family violence perpetrators in Victoria’ report highlighted that sexual violence services should be resourced to capture data, conduct research and evaluate programs to ‘provide insight into emerging forms of sexual violence (such as image-based sexual abuse and generative AI), pathways into the use of sexual violence (for example, pornography use, non-fatal strangulation) and effective and efficient responses. ‘

We welcome the report’s recommendations, which reinforce our call for ongoing roles to build the sexual violence evidence base on prevention and perpetrator interventions.

We also welcome the attention on data collection.

The report reinforces our call for resourcing to evaluate our data system needs and to work with the government to modernise these systems.

How can victim survivors of sexual violence be a part of our work?

Our work has been strengthened by the advocacy and resilience of survivors of sexual violence.

Survivor advocacy can be both an important part of someone’s recovery and create meaningful systems change.

We’re calling for resourcing to give survivors more opportunities to contribute to change.

RESPECT

We’re calling on the government to:

• Increase SASVic’s core funding to boost capacity and allow the peak body to continue the vital work already being done in Victoria for all people impacted by sexual violence.

• Grow the evidence base for prevention and adult perpetrator interventions by funding ongoing roles for research, evaluation and knowledge translation and exchange at SASVic.

• Fund SASVic to evaluate the sector’s data and data system needs and work with the government to modernise the sector’s data system.

• Fund the sector to develop an emergency response to child sexual abuse in schools and small communities, in collaboration with the Department of Education.

• Fund SASVic to deliver formalised training to new workers entering the sector underpinned by the latest research, including topics such as the REACH recovery model, harmful sexual behaviour and child sexual abuse responses.

• Continue the important Lead & Adapt Program (delivered in partnership by Leadership Vic and Safe + Equal) to support the growth of the sector.

• Give survivors the opportunity to contribute to change and recognise their unique experience through the design and implementation of a Survivors Advocacy and Recovery Network.

Help us call for systemic change by learning more about our Rights. Recovery. Respect. campaign.