Welcome to the Domestic and Family Violence Prevention and Psychology Interest Group

Terms of Reference (ToR)

• Promote the gathering, assimilation, and application of psychological knowledge to reduce the incidence, and the harms, of domestic and intimate partner violence by encouraging research which informs the development of understanding of causes, treatment, and preventative strategies. That knowledge encompasses individual, relationship and societal factors.
• Actively disseminate existing and newly acquired psychological knowledge about:
  • the developmental causes of domestic violence;
  • effective therapies and interventions for all members of a family involved in family violence;
  • identified policy initiatives that are conducive to the achievement of the goal of reducing harm.
• Share psychological knowledge by providing advice and recommendations to develop more informed and beneficial policies by Government bodies and inform members of the public and decision-makers, so that policies and childcare decisions and practices are congruent with the promotion of the wellbeing of children and through those developments facilitate a reduction in psychological problems during childhood development that are known to underpin and drive domestic violence in later life.
• Encourage the identification and psychological treatment of the most vulnerable children whose early life experiences put them at risk of manifesting violent behaviour in later life, such as those referred to child protection systems.
• Promote the funding by Government of psychological treatment and rehabilitation programmes for all affected persons.
• Encourage psychologists to share information to improve skills in the assessment of the impacts of family violence and related policies on all members of a family including children, non-offending parents, and offending parents.
• Provide training opportunities and education of practitioners to facilitate the acquisition of skills in effective report-writing for the Courts and other decision-makers.
• Working in conjunction with APS policy areas encourage Government funding of educational media campaigns that:
  • promote understanding of the basic needs of children that require fulfilment to promote growth and wellbeing through the lifespan;
  • inform that adverse events in childhood are at the root of aggression and impaired problem-solving in later life;
  • encourage adults with adverse childhood histories who may be at risk of violent behaviour to recognise their emotional vulnerabilities and seek psychological help.
• To support and complement the above, engage in community education which reduces stigmatization via the media and judgemental ideologies by promoting an understanding that problem behaviours in adults have identifiable psychological causes that require healing in the short-term, and prevention for the benefit of future generations in the longer term.
• Promote inter-disciplinary collaboration with other helping professionals having comparable objectives by communications and involvement in symposia, professional development training, and conference activities.