The government of South Australia has taken a major step towards reforming the domestic violence response system by forming a statewide advisory network of individuals with lived experience.
This action is a direct response to recommendations from the state’s Royal Commission. The network, officially called the Lived Experience Advisory Network (LEAN), brings together survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence to play a direct advisory role in designing, evaluating, and improving government policies and services. The ultimate goal is to create meaningful change in current systems.
The Malinauskas government in South Australia accepted and implemented the formation of this network immediately after the final report of the Royal Commission was released in August. This commission was established to conduct an in-depth investigation and provide solutions regarding domestic, family, and sexual violence.
Hayley Brown: From Survivor to Advisor
Hayley Brown is one of the first people to share her life story with this newly established advisory network. Having had her life seriously threatened by two former partners on multiple occasions, Brown, now an advocate and executive director, says: “I was able to see the gaps or the failures of the system… I cannot walk away from my experience without being a voice for others.” She hopes her experiences will lead to better inter-agency communication and improved training for frontline staff to identify coercive control.
How the Network Operates and Recruits Members
Embolden, recognized as the specialist domestic and sexual violence service organization in the state, is overseeing the network. With extensive experience in this field, Embolden ensures everything is conducted professionally, impartially, and equitably.
Registration for eligible individuals interested in joining has now begun. The main condition for joining the network is being over 18 and having direct personal experience of domestic, family, or sexual violence.
Participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback and advice on policies and services through methods such as surveys, focus groups, and workshops. Mary Leaker, CEO of Embolden, emphasizes: “The aim of forming this network is to ensure the deep knowledge and understanding that only comes from personal experience has a decisive and practical role in policy-making and service design.”
The formation of this network is only part of the South Australian government’s broader response to the 129 remaining recommendations of the Royal Commission, to which a final response is due by the end of this year. Katrine Hildyard, the relevant minister in the state, said: “We are deeply committed to listening to and acting on the voices of survivors, because they are the ones who know better than anyone what needs to change.”
In accordance with the Commission’s recommendation, a separate advisory network for children and young people is also being established and will become operational early next year. Additionally, a smaller Lived Experience Advisory Group will be formed from within the network members to meet and consult directly with the relevant minister.
Worrying Increase in Domestic Violence and Government Prioritization
This local initiative comes at a time when national statistics indicate a worrying increase in domestic violence in Australia. According to reports, calls to the national domestic and sexual violence support hotline have increased by 3,000% since its launch in 2010. Last year alone, over 342,000 calls and text messages were registered with this hotline.
This idea is not unique to South Australia. Across Australia, governments are engaging survivors of violence for consultation. This movement shows that officials have realized that the best way to solve the problem of violence is to listen to those who have experienced it themselves.
ABC News
