What is Safer Pathway?

Safer Pathway is a NSW Government program that supports victim-survivors of domestic and family violence across NSW.

Safer Pathway is available to any person who has experienced domestic and family violence in NSW.

Within Safer Pathway, relevant government and non-government agencies work together to identify people experiencing domestic and family violence, and to offer them support to increase their safety.

How does it work?

• After domestic and family violence is reported to NSW Police, Police refer the victim-survivor to a specialist domestic and family violence service for support.
• Other services can also refer into Safer Pathway after consent is given.
• A specialist domestic violence support worker contacts the victim-survivor by phone to offer support and assistance.
• After making contact, the specialist worker does a safety assessment, offers help with safety planning, and connects the person with helpful supports and services.
• If after a safety assessment, a victim-survivor is identified as being at ‘serious threat’ of harm, the specialist service will refer the person to a Safety Action Meeting.

What is a Safety Action Meeting?

• Safety Action Meetings are fortnightly meetings of government and non-government service providers.
• At the meeting, government agencies and service providers share relevant information and develop priority actions to reduce the current threat to each victim-survivor on the agenda.

Information sharing at Safety Action Meetings

Part 13A of the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act 2007 creates exceptions to NSW privacy laws to allow service providers to share information for the specific purpose of preventing and lessening a serious threat to a person’s life, health or safety, in cases of domestic violence.

This includes information about the victim-survivor, children, perpetrator, or any other relevant person. It also includes information sharing without victim consent to reduce serious threat.

Information sharing is important to ensure government agencies and non-government service providers:

• have a complete picture of the level of threat to a victim-survivor and any children
• target their assistance to prevent or reduce the risk of death, illness, injury and disability to victim-survivors
• can manage risks facing a person together
• can hold perpetrators accountable

More information on information sharing and the law.