School of Social and Political Science

Description

The exploitation of substance use as a form of coercive control is an insidious and often overlooked aspect of domestic abuse in Australia and internationally. Substance use coercion identifies the different ways in which substances are used as part of a repertoire of tactics of abuse. The evidence points to an increase in severity, frequency and impact of domestic and family violence (DFV) when it occurs in the context of alcohol and other drugs (AOD). Yet, the ability of the DFV and AOD sectors to address this intersection with men, women and children is characterised by fragmentation, rather than collaboration. This presentation draws from the deliberations of a policy stakeholder group comprised of senior executives from the DFV, AOD and child welfare sectors formed as part of the KODY project. KODY (Kids First Odyssey House Victoria) is an AOD informed Caring Dads program that aims to provide an all-of-family approach to problematic AOD use and DFV. We sought to move the sectors beyond notions of co-occurrence or causality to a more nuanced understanding and shared language in order to support a stronger foundation for policy and practice.

Menka Tsantefski is Associate Professor, Social Work and Community Welfare, at Southern Cross University, Queensland, Australia. She has worked on a number of projects with key stakeholders including state and federal governments, child protection, domestic and family violence, alcohol and other drug, and mental health services, police, and probation and parole. Her research is at the forefront of service delivery to children and families affected by problematic parental substance use and child maltreatment.

This is a hybrid event which takes place in-person and online. Please indicate your preference when registering to attend.

Those who have opted to attend online will receive the link to the seminar on the day. Registrered attendees should ensure they check their emails!