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Leaving a violent and abusive relationship can be hard. It may mean having to move to a new area and having to start life over with a new home, new job and new school for the kids.You may also be short on money and not in a good mental health headspace.
These are only some of the reasons why women stay in an abusive relationship. Leaving the situation can be pretty stressful and overwhelming, especially with little or no support.
The aim of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program is to prevent you and your children becoming homeless or having to move away from your support system of family and friends, and the school and community where you live.
The program works in cooperation with NSW Police to remove the perpetrator (the violent partner) from the family home so that you and your children can stay safely where you are. It provides a range of support, such as safety planning, improving home security, help in managing finances, support for children, and helping you with the complicated legal process.
The providers of the program understand that it's the violent person - your partner or ex-partner - who is responsible for their own abusive behaviour and is committing a crime by hurting you and or your children.
Women separated from a violent partner but who continue to experience abuse from their ex-partner are a priority for the program. Priority is also given to women who have experienced domestic and family violence before and are:
In the 2024/25 Budget, the NSW Government committed to provide an additional $245.6 million over four years as part of an emergency package to enhance support for domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) victim-survivors and expand programs that reduce the rate of violence against women and children.
Details of the measures included can be found here.
Funding was provided to expand key programs including:
Contracts have been extended for a further two years to 30 June 2026 for the services currently delivering the Specialist Workers for Children and Young People program, in line with the existing SHS refuge contract timeframes.
A further 10 services have been selected for expansion of this program. The sites are based on the number of Aboriginal children and young people accompanying their mothers to crisis DFV refuges.
All 31 contracted services will provide support to children and young people through funding made available to 30 June 2026.
SHLV is an important program that helps women and their children to remain safe in their homes, or home of their choice, after leaving a violent relationship. In 2022, an independent evaluation by the Gendered Violence Research Network at the University of NSW found this program effectively contributes to the long-term safety and housing stability of women and children who have left a violent and abusive relationship.
The program currently covers 91 Local Government Areas. This new funding will be used to extend the program to the remaining 37 Local Government Areas, providing state-wide coverage by May 2025.
Key milestones:
Funding for new LGAs has been based on analysis of the demand for Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) services. Rural and remote areas will receive higher funding allocations to account for the higher cost of service delivery. We recognise the importance of resourcing our regional, rural, and remote locations with adequate funding to deliver these important services well.
Procurement opportunities will be released in early October and close in early November 2024. SHLV contracts will be awarded in March 2025 and services will commence soon after.
More information can be found on the NSW Government e-tendering website.
DCJ were invited to discuss the IDFVS and SHLV expansion plans at a DVNSW led forum held 10 September 2024. A copy of the presentation, which includes Local Government Area coverage, can be found at the following link.
DVNSW presentation SHLV and IDFVS expansion - 10 September 2024 (PDF, 1.8 MB) (PDF, 1.8 MB)
For an accessible version, please email PACT@dcj.nsw.gov.au.
There are 11 existing IDFVS services across NSW delivering critical integrated and holistic services for families experiencing DFV.
The Integrated Domestic and Family Violence Service provides important case management helping people to navigate the services of government agencies and non-government organisations. This can include coordinating across police, courts, healthcare, child protection workers, housing providers and women’s refuges. The program works with both victim-survivors who have left a relationship and those who remain, focusing on maximising safety for this group of women and their children, and addressing behaviour of the person using violence.
Core to the response is an integrated whole of family case management approach, which can involve working with a victim-survivor, children and person using violence.
A further 6 services will be funded through this new investment. The services will be located in areas with the highest need, determined by demand, prevalence and service gaps. Procurement opportunities for IDFVS services will be released in February 2025 with contracts awarded in June 2025 and services will commence soon after.
More information can be found on the NSW Government e-tendering website.
Aboriginal women and children experience DFV at higher rates than non-Aboriginal women and children. NSW Government is committed to addressing the needs of Aboriginal Women and children experiencing DFV and know that this best done through the provision of Aboriginal led services.
A proportion of funding has been allocated to the development and co-design of Aboriginal led service models of DFV in key locations. This process builds on the success and lessons from the partnership with the Bourke community, led by the Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly.
We will see more of these excellent examples of co-designed services in three more areas across NSW. More information will be provided about these locations and the co-design approach as the programs progress.
Where there are Aboriginal Services ready and interested to deliver the IDFVS and SHLV service models, our procurement approaches will be tailored to support Aboriginal services to apply for funding in these areas.
In 2022 researchers from The Gendered Violence Research Network at the University of NSW were engaged by the the Department of Communities and Justice to undertake a formal evaluation of the Staying Home Leaving Violence program (PDF, 1.5 MB) (PDF, 1.5 MB). The report concludes that the Staying Home Leaving Violence program effectively contributes to the long-term safety and housing stability of women and children who have left a violent and abusive relationship.
The program helps women and their children who live in the following locations across NSW.
| Location | Phone | Suburbs covered |
|---|---|---|
| Albury | 02 6058 6200 1800 885 355 |
All suburbs within the Albury City, Greater Hume and Federation LGAs |
| Armidale Region, Uralla and Walcha | 1800 073 388 | Suburbs within the Armidale Regional, Uralla and Walcha LGA’s. |
| Bathurst, Lithgow | 1300 384 357 | All suburbs within the Bathurst Regional & Lithgow City LGA’s |
| Bega Valley | 02 6492 6239 | All suburbs within the Bega Valley LGA and southern Eurobodalla LGA |
| Blacktown | 02 9677 1962 | All suburbs within the Blacktown LGA |
| Blue Mountains | 1300 384 357 | All suburbs within the Blue Mountains LGA via online and outreach services |
| Broken Hill | 08 8088 2520 | Broken Hill, Wentworth LGAs |
| Campbelltown | 1800 077 760 02 4633 3777 |
All suburbs within the Campbelltown and Camden LGA’s |
| Canterbury, Burwood | 02 9602 7795 | All suburbs within the Burwood LGA and the former Canterbury LGA |
| Coffs Harbour | 02 6652 6693 | Coffs Harbour, Nambucca Valley and Bellingen LGA’s |
| Coonamble, Walgett | 02 6829 4352 02 6828 3570 |
All suburbs within the Coonamble, Walgett, Brewarrina & Warrumbungle LGA’s |
| Dubbo | 02 6883 1561 | Suburbs within the Dubbo, Narromine and Gilgandra LGA’s |
| Eurobodalla | 02 6492 6239 | Bateman’s Bay and Moruya via online and outreach services |
| Fairfield, Liverpool | 02 9602 7795 | All suburbs within the Fairfield & Liverpool LGA’s, and the Bankstown portion of Canterbury-Bankstown LGA |
| Georges River | 02 9319 4088 | All suburbs within the Georges River LGA |
| Griffith | 02 6964 3381 | Suburbs within the Griffith, Narrandera, Leeton, & Hay LGA’s |
| Inverell | 0417 858 634 0417 786 736 |
Suburbs within the Inverell, Glenn Innes and Tenterfield LGA |
| Kempsey | 02 6562 2272 | Suburbs within the Kempsey and Nambucca Valley LGA’s |
| Lake Macquarie | 02 4943 9255 | All suburbs within the Lake Macquarie LGA |
| Lachlan and Weddin | 1800 067 067 | All suburbs within the Lachlan and Weddin LGA’s via online and outreach services |
| Maitland, Cessnock | 02 4934 2585 | Suburbs within the Maitland, Cessnock, Dungog and Singleton LGA’s |
| Mid Coast | 02 4979 1120 | All suburbs within the Mid-Coast LGA |
| Mid-Western Regional | 1300 384 357 | All suburbs within the Mid-Western Regional LGA |
| Moree Plains | 02 6752 8027 | Moree Plains and Narrabri LGAs |
| Muswellbrook, Upper Hunter | 02 4934 2585 | All suburbs within the Muswellbrook & Upper Hunter LGA’s |
| Newcastle | 02 4926 3577 | All suburbs within the Newcastle LGA |
| Orange | 1300 384 357 | All suburbs within the Orange, Cabonne Council and Blayney LGA’s |
| Parkes, Forbes, Cowra | 02 6850 1788 | All suburbs within the Parkes, Cowra & Forbes LGA’s |
| Parramatta | 02 9636 8437 | Suburbs within the City of Parramatta, Cumberland & the Hills LGA’s |
| Penrith | 02 4721 2499 | Suburbs within the Penrith and Hawkesbury LGA’s |
| Port Stephens | 02 4987 4674 | All suburbs within the Port Stephens LGA |
| Queanbeyan, Palerang Regional | 02 6189 4808 | All suburbs within the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional LGA |
| Randwick, Waverley | 0439 414 673 | All suburbs within the Randwick, Waverley, Woollahra LGA's and the following suburbs in Bayside LGA - Banksmeadow, Botany, Daceyville, Eastgardens, Eastlakes, Hillsdale, Mascot, Pagewood, Rosebery (Part in Bayside LGA) |
| Redfern | 02 9699 9036 | The following suburbs of City of Sydney and Inner West LGA: Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Camperdown, Chippendale, Darlington, Dulwich Hill, Enmore, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Glebe, Lewisham, Marrickville, Newtown, Petersham, Redfern, Rosebery, St Peters, Stanmore, Sydenham, Tempe, Waterloo, Zetland. |
| Richmond Valley | 02 6662 2898 | All suburbs within the Richmond Valley, Lismore and Kyogle LGAs |
| Shoalhaven | 02 4421 7400 | Suburbs within the Shoalhaven, Wollongong and Shellharbour LGAs |
| Snowy Monaro Regional Council | 02 6492 6239 | Bombala via online and outreach services |
| Sutherland | 02 9528 2933 | All suburbs within the Sutherland Shire LGA |
| Tamworth Regional | 1800 073 388 | Suburbs within the Tamworth Regional, Gunnedah and Liverpool Plains LGAs |
| Tweed, Byron | 02 6684 4299 | Suburbs within the Tweed, Byron and Ballina LGA’s. |
| Wagga Wagga, Junee | 02 6964 3381 | All suburbs within the Wagga Wagga and Junee LGA’s. |
| Wollongong | 02 4255 5333 | Suburbs within the Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama LGAs. |
| Wyong, Gosford | 02 4356 2600 | All suburbs within the Central Coast LGA |
17 Sep 2024