Violence, Abuse and Neglect Redesign Program

The Violence, Abuse and Neglect (VAN) Redesign Program aims to enhance the capacity of the public health system to provide 24-hour, trauma-informed and trauma-specific, integrated psychosocial, medical and forensic responses to sexual assault, child physical abuse and neglect, and domestic and family violence presentations.

This will help to minimise the impact of trauma, support recovery from trauma, and promote long-term health and wellbeing, as well as assisting interagency partners to promote safety and justice outcomes for victims and the community.

Integrated Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse and Neglect Framework

The Integrated Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse and Neglect Framework is a key component of the VAN Redesign Program. The framework outlines the vision, guiding principles, objectives and strategic priorities to strengthen NSW Health response to violence, abuse and neglect. It is underpinned by a comprehensive evidence base and was developed through a co-design process with extensive consultation.

The framework emphasises the need to mobilise NSW Health at the system, service, practice and workforce levels to support responses for victims and families. The framework’s four key objectives are to:

1. strengthen leadership, governance and accountability
2. enhance the skills, capabilities and confidence of the Health workforce
3. expand violence, abuse and neglect services to ensure they are coordinated, integrated and comprehensive
4. extend the foundations for integration across the whole NSW Health system.

Implementation of the framework

Supported by additional funding of $10M per year since 2017-18, the framework is being implemented in two overlapping phases.

Phase 1 will focus on the specific efforts required for NSW Health VAN services to strengthen integrated responses.

Phase 2 will focus on broadening integration of violence, abuse and neglect responses across the whole NSW Health system and with partner agencies.

Resources to support implementation

• The Case for Changewhich gives a summary of key findings from the research and literature.
• Service Profiles – review of violence, abuse and neglect service delivery, coverage and gaps, and areas of innovation and excellence (Statewide and district / network level).
• Self-Assessment Tool​ to enable individual districts and networks to track implementation progress.
• The Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) is assisting districts and networks with local implementation support and is establishing a VAN Clinical Network.
• Integrated Violence, Abuse and Neglect Statistics and Research Project
• The VAN Evidence Strategy is a resource guide for how quality research and evaluation can generate evidence to address knowledge gaps. This is essential for improving the appropriateness and quality of care for victims of violence, abuse and neglect and to help services hold those perpetrating violence, abuse and neglect to account. The strategy also aligns with, and demonstrates, the efficacy of the broader changes and emerging strategic priorities evident across the whole NSW Health system — including integration and innovation.

The strategy is a starting point for Ministry of Health staff working in violence, abuse and neglect policy areas to strengthen statewide responses over the next five years by:

• better understanding the strength and appropriate use of different information sources to build a strong evidence-informed culture
• translating evidence to inform policy, program and service model development
• supporting system-wide implementation of best practice
• identifying gaps, and prioritising and allocating resources where most needed.

Evaluation of the implementation of the IPARVAN Framework

Nous Group (Nous) was engaged by the Government Relations Branch, NSW Ministry of Health, to develop a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to support the evaluation of the implementation of the Integrated Prevention and Response to Violence, Abuse and Neglect Framework (the IPARVAN Framework).

The purpose of this framework is to:

• document and explain how the implementation of the IPARVAN Framework will be monitored and evaluated
• offer stakeholders including the Ministry of Heath, LHDs and SHNs, NSW Health Pillar organisations, and NSW Health staff a resource that explains their role in monitoring and evaluation activities.
• explain how the results of monitoring and evaluation activities will be shared with key stakeholders.

This framework will guide monitoring and evaluation activities over three stages between 2020 and 2026.

• Stage 1 will focus on process and short term outcomes at 1.5 - 2 years post implementation.
• Stage 2 will focus on medium and longer term outcomes at 4 to 5 years post implementation.
• Stage 3 will focus on assessing the economic benefit of the IPARVAN Framework at 5 to 6 years post implementation.

The Final Evaluation Report presents the findings from the Stage 1 Evaluation of the Integrated Prevention and Response to Violence Abuse and Neglect Framework (the IPARVAN Framework) up to June 2022.

Final Evaluation Report Stage 1 - Evaluation of the IPARVAN Framework