Targeted Research on COVID and Family Violence in Victoria

⁠⁠⁠The organisation is seeking suitably qualified and experienced Victorian-based consortia to undertake targeted research to:

• contribute to the family violence and sexual assault evidence base within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and
• test mechanisms of collaborative and multidisciplinary research through fostering partnerships, information sharing, and capability building between universities, sector and government.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the prevalence and patterns of family violence and has rapidly transformed how government and services respond to family violence and sexual assault. The organisation is looking to commission research into the changes to drivers, presentation, risk and intensity of family violence and sexual assault in Victoria during and in recovery from the pandemic, as well as the impacts of service innovations and changes to responses for family violence and sexual assault services and clients.

Family Safety Victoria is seeking research to be delivered by consortia comprising of one or more Victorian universities, and one or more family violence or sexual assault sector organisations and/or peak organisations. Collaboration with the broader community services sector should also be considered where relevant to the proposed research project.

Proposed partnerships should foster collaboration across academic disciplines, universities and community services sectors as relevant to the research questions. Multidisciplinary proposals, proposals that draw on expertise from across multiple Victorian universities, and those that recognise the interrelationships between family violence and sexual assault and other community services and needs will be highly regarded.

The organisation will use lessons from the test of collaborative research mechanisms to inform the development of a whole of Victorian government family violence research program. The research program will develop and support innovative ways for government, Victorian universities, and the family violence and sexual assault prevention and response sectors to work together to strengthen the family violence evidence-base and improve how research is shared and implemented.

The organisation expects to commission multiple projects through this request for tender process.