WHAT IS THE FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION SERVICE?

The Family and Domestic Violence Case Management and Coordination Service (CMCS) is a collaborative, interagency response to family and domestic violence which aims to keep women and children safe whilst holding enactors (perpetrators) of violence accountable for their actions.

Family and domestic violence is a complex problem often requiring a response from various State and Federal agencies. Due to the response needed by such a large number of departments and organisations, navigating the system effectively can be difficult for individuals and agencies. This is a particular problem when organisations operate in isolation from each other.

To combat this issue and achieve an integrated response, regional coordination structures have been reformed to facilitate:

• Integrated case management of high risk cases;
• Identify and address gaps in service responses; and
• Identify and address systemic barriers/issues that inhibit coordination.

The CMCS primary role and function has been standardised across the State of Western Australia to include:

• An integrated Case Management Group/s; and
• A Family and Domestic Violence Coordination Group

The integrated Case Management Groups are made up of operational level practitioners who work in partnership to manage the risk and safety of high risk family and domestic violence cases. The Family and Domestic Violence Coordination Group encompass senior managers from all agencies who respond to family and domestic violence.

The purpose and goals of the Case Management Group will be:

• To share information;
• To determine if the offender poses a significant risk to a particular individual or to the general community; and
• To jointly construct and implement a safety management plan inclusive of professional support to those considered at high risk and to hold the enactor of violence accountable for their abusive behavior.

The role of the CMCS Coordinator encompasses management of the South West Family and Domestic Violence Case Management and Coordination Service (CMCS) on behalf of Waratah Support Centre who have been contracted by the WA Department for Child Protection to deliver the service. The CMCS Coordinator is responsible for convening and supporting multi-agency case management groups in various locations in the South West of the state, and the multi-agency coordination group based in Bunbury. This is achieved by establishing and maintaining relationships with regional service providers and agencies that have a role to play in addressing family and domestic violence.

REFERALS
Referrals are forwarded to the CMCS Coordinator however, prior to a submission being made by the referring agency; a risk assessment must be conducted using the prescribed Referral and Assessment Form at the time of first contact with the victim. Only those cases deemed to be at HIGH risk can be referred to the CMCS. Coupled with the assessment tool, determination of the level of risk should be based on:

• Evidence
• Victim’s experiences/knowledge of partner; and
• Professional judgment of the operational practitioner

Once the level of risk has been determined in the first instance, the referral is initiated and submitted to the Case Management Group via the CMCS Coordinator. The Case Management Group will then review the information provided and decide if the case will be managed via this process.

Where possible during the first contact, practitioners should seek the consent of the victim to have their case assessed for interagency case management. If consent cannot be gained and the person is deemed to be at high risk, agencies should refer to the ‘Memorandum of Understanding - Information sharing between agencies with responsibilities for preventing and responding to family and domestic violence in Western Australia’.

Referrals can originate from both government and non-government services however the number of cases managed will depend on each region’s capacity to effectively respond to the needs of the clients. The function of the Case Management Group is a short term approach to risk management and not a long term approach to case management. The Case Management Group does not replace the work of individual agencies that respond to immediate risks and who work collaboratively as part of their daily practice but rather, enhances a collaborative approach to safety.

Over the years, Waratah has demonstrated a strong commitment to the establishment of an integrated, interagency response to family and domestic violence and as such, coordination of the Southwest CMCS Service will operate Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm from the Waratah Support Centre, Bunbury. The Southwest CMCS Coordinator can be contacted via email cmcs@waratah.asn.au or 9791 2884.

In union with the Department for Child Protection’s coverage of the Southwest District, the Family and Domestic Violence Case Management and Coordination Service will encompass the following locations: Bunbury (includes Capel, Boyanup and Dardanup); Donnybrook; Nannup; Bridgetown; Harvey (includes Yarloop); Collie (includes Boyup Brook); Busselton; Margaret River; Augusta.