DFV integrated service system guide

Our understanding of integration and integrated service responses to domestic and family violence (DFV) has developed and matured over time. However, there is still confusion about what is meant by an integrated service system and responses, and how we achieve this in practice.

The DFV integrated service system statewide guide (the ISS guide) provides a common understanding and approach to integration and integrated responses across the service system. The ISS guide outlines best-practice guidance to support agencies and practitioners to work in an integrated way and deliver integrated responses to improve outcomes for people impacted by DFV.

An integrated service system should provide a ‘no wrong door’ approach for victim-survivors, where responses are designed to meet their individual needs and circumstances. It must be victim-survivor led and take a trauma-informed approach.

Working in an integrated way to respond to DFV has been found to be best practice. Integrated approaches improve the safety of victim-survivors and their children by:

• increasing the accuracy of risk assessment
• coordinating safety management responses
• reducing barriers for victim-survivors to accessing support​.

To do that well, collaboration needs to occur between and across services. Agencies must understand how all parts of the service system function and need to build trust with other services and sectors over time. Common practices, processes, and joint decision making ensure responses are appropriate and seamless. To integrate our systems and responses, it is essential to understand what is meant by integration and how to implement this approach in practice.

It is acknowledged that integration needs to occur across the entirety of the service system, from a policy and strategic perspective to the individual practitioner level. While practitioners on the ground can and should develop partnerships, approaches and individual capacity to improve responses, this cannot happen effectively if changes to the system are not being made to improve integration.

The ISS guide covers integration across all levels of the service system and is set out in 2 parts.

Part 1

Part 1 covers what we need to know about integration, including:

• the background and context of integration in Queensland
• definitions and shared language
• how integration is supported by the DFV common risk and safety framework (the CRASF)
• roles and responsibilities of agencies and practitioners
• the benefits of working in an integrated way
• a victim-survivor led approach
• keeping the person using violence (PuV) visible
• children and young people
• intersectionality
• being trauma-informed.

Part 2

Part 2 is about how we do integration in practice and covers:

• coordinated local integration with agencies and communities
• integration for agencies
• integration for practitioners.

Online training

An online training model has been developed in partnership with the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research to help people understand what is meant by integration, and how they can support and contribute to integrated service responses at the practitioner, agency and systems levels.

The module is designed to be self-paced and accessible at any time. It sits within the suite of CRASF online training modules.