Whittlesea CALD Communities Family Violence Research Report 2012 | Page 67

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Evidence gathered from the scoping exercise indicates that CALD men may have less access to
existing men’s behaviour change programs and these programs may be less effective in assisting
CALD men primarily due to language barriers. The research indicated that there are currently 35-40
men’s behaviour change programs in existence in Victoria but none of these are language or cultural
specific.
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The project will aim to address the current gap in the provision of men’s behaviour change
groups to CALD communities through the development and piloting of a language or cultural
specific men’s behaviour change group in the City of Whittlesea;
The most appropriate language or cultural group (or groups) to pilot the implementation of the
initial men’s behaviour change group will be identified by drawing on demographic data from
the City of Whittlesea;
A lead agency with specific experience in delivering men’s behaviour change groups will be
selected to oversee the development and implementation of the group;
The lead agency will be responsible for identifying and/or organising training for group
facilitators and partner contact workers ;
The lead agency will draw on the experience of previous groups run in Melbourne’s West to
identify referral pathways for entry to the group that are relevant for the City of Whittlesea;
The lead agency will oversee the implementation of the men’s behaviour change group and the
evaluation that will form the basis for further groups to be delivered in the Whittlesea LGA.

6. Prevention of Family Violence: Early Intervention in the Settlement Process
The research identifies newly arrived migrants, particularly those migrants and refugees arriving with
limited supports and high settlement needs as experiencing increased vulnerability in relation to
family violence. Additionally, women arriving under spouse or fiancé visa categories are identified as
facing a range of additional barriers to accessing support, information and services when compared
to other members of CALD and non-CALD communities.
The settlement process itself presents new arrivals with a range of pressures and stressors that may
impact negatively on the ability of individuals and families to maintain equal and respectful
relationships.
Professional development and the provision of information regarding the pre and post migration
experiences of new migrants, the impact of specific visa categories and the specific pressures of
settlement will be provided to family violence workers to ensure currency of skills and knowledge
and to increase the professional capacity of family violence specialist agencies.
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The project will draw on teachings from VicHealth’s work on the primary prevention of violence
against women which showcases a number of best practice examples (specifically adaptation of
the ‘Baby Makes 3’ model to the settlement process) to deliver early intervention and targeted
prevention support to men and women during the settlement process;
An information and education package will be developed for newly arrived CALD couples aimed
at addressing the stressors experienced during the settlement process that lead to a heightened
risk of family violence;
The Steering Committee in partnership with a lead agency will be responsible for the
development of the information and education package and the recruitment of participants;
The Steering Committee in partnership with a lead agency will be responsible for selecting,
training and supporting a contact worker to deliver information, training and support to the
participants;