Communities and Justice

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Safe and Strong Families

The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) received $13 million to deliver Safe and Strong Families, an early intervention family support program supporting both victim survivors and their children, as victims, who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, family violence.

Safe and Strong Families is delivered under the Targeted Earlier Invention (TEI) program and provides crucial early support for women and children experiencing or at risk of experiencing family violence.

Through Safe and Strong Families these women and children receive family capacity building including services such as advocacy, case coordination, counselling and referrals to build safety and address need. Service providers work with victim-survivors and their children for as long as required to achieve positive outcomes.

Safe and Strong Families service delivery has a strong focus on Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to ensure culturally safe and trauma informed support is available.   

Safe and Strong Families will be delivered in approximately 32 sites in priority locations across NSW. Locations were selected using domestic violence crime and child protection data, to identify areas of the highest need.

Safe and Strong Families has been rolled out across multiple stages.

Stage One commenced from September 2024 with 11 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) delivering the service in 11 sites.

 

LGA/s (sites)

DCJ District

Service Provider

1

Albury

Murrumbidgee

Woomera Aboriginal Corporation Albury

2

Lake Macquarie

Hunter

Muloobinba Aboriginal Corporation

3

Liverpool

South West Sydney

KARI Ltd

4

Liverpool Plains

New England

Winanga-Li Aboriginal Child & Family Centre

5

Maitland / Cessnock

Hunter

Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council

6

Mid-Coast

Mid North Coast

Biripi Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre

7

Mid-Coast

Mid North Coast

Tobwabba Aboriginal Medical Service

8

Port Stephens

Hunter

Warlga Ngurra Womens and Childrens Refuge Inc

9

Sydney

Sydney

Mudgin-gal Aboriginal Corporation

10

Wagga Wagga

Murrumbidgee

Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation

11

Wollongong

Illawarra Shoalhaven

Illawarra Aboriginal Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation

Stage Two commenced from May 2025, with 13 providers delivering Safe and Strong Families in an additional 16 sites. Ten of these providers are ACCOs.

 

LGA/s (sites)

DCJ District

Service Provider

1

Clarence Valley

Northern NSW

Gurehlgam Corporation

2

Kempsey

Mid North Coast

Dhina Durriti Aboriginal Corporation

3

Maitland/Cessnock

Hunter Central Coast

Bungree Aboriginal Association

4

Central Coast

Central Coast

Gudjagang Ngara Li-Dhi Aboriginal Corporation

5

Broken Hill

Far West

Mirrimpilyi Muurpa-nara Aboriginal Corporation

6

Dubbo

Western NSW

Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Services

7

Walgett

Western NSW

Regional Enterprise Development Institute Limited

8

Bourke

Western NSW

9

Penrith

Nepean Blue Mountains

Sydney Region Aboriginal Corporation

10

Shoalhaven

Illawarra-Shoalhaven

South Coast Women’s Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation (Waminda)

11

Canterbury-Bankstown

South West Sydney and Sydney District

Mudgin-Gal Aboriginal Corporation

12

Parkes

Western NSW

Mission Australia

 

13

Blacktown

Western Sydney

14

Cumberland

Western Sydney

Anglicare Sydney

15

Tamworth

New England

The Benevolent Society

 

16

Moree

New England

Another two ACCOs were awarded funding in June 2025 under Stage Three, to deliver Safe and Strong Families in two additional sites.

 

LGA/s (sites)

DCJ District

Service Provider

1

Campbelltown

South West Sydney

Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation

2

Eurobodalla

Southern NSW

Katungul Aboriginal Corporation Regional Health and Community Services

The remaining 3 sites are undergoing procurement, and will be finalised in late 2025.

Evaluation

DCJ has commissioned Curijo Pty Ltd, a 100% owned Aboriginal organisation, to conduct an independent process evaluation. The evaluation will assess whether Safe and Strong Families has been implemented as intended and will identify barriers to implementation and opportunities to improve design and delivery.

 

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