Family violence support

Listen

Information on family violence and services to help if you or your family experience family violence.

IF YOU ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER CALL 000.

About family violence

Family violence takes many forms and it occurs across all social groups in the community.

While physical violence may be the most visible, there are other forms of family violence. These include:

controlling behaviours (such as deciding who you can see or what you do)
stalking (such as monitoring your online activity, following you)
verbal abuse (such as put-downs, threats and intimidation)
physical assault (such as pushing, slapping, punching, choking)
sexual assault (such as manipulating or forcing you to do sexual things, even if you are married)
emotional abuse (such as weakening your self-esteem)
social abuse (such as isolating you from family and friends)
economic abuse (such as controlling access to money)
spiritual abuse (such as preventing you from practising your spiritual beliefs)
harming, or threats to harm, pets
threats or actually self-harming and saying you are responsible
spousal homicide.

If someone is violent, abusing and hurting you or your children, it is not your fault.

There are services that you can reach out to for advice or help.

Service

Contact

Eastern Domestic Violence Service (EDVOS)

Services to support women and children (multilingual staff)

9259 4200 (9 am–8 pm)

Mon–Fri Sat (9 am–5 pm)

Eastern Access Community Health (EACH)

Family Violence Counselling and Education

1300 003 224

Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (ECASA)

For men, women, youth and children

9870 7330 (Office Hours)

If you would like the information translated, call:

Help for those who are deaf, hard of hearing and/or have speech impairment:

Incidents of family violence in Knox continue to be above the eastern metropolitan average.

53 per cent of all assaults on people in Knox in 2017 to 2018 were family violence-related.

The ties between family violence and homelessness are clear. In fact, family violence is the single biggest cause of homelessness in this state.

There is help available if you are at risk of homelessness or need housing support.

Safe steps provide information on how you can help and support them.

Council plays works to prevent family violence by delivering a range of prevention activities to keep our community safe. This includes:

collaborating with key organisations providing crisis intervention
funding projects with a family violence focus
training our Maternal and Child Health workers, Youth Services and Aged Care workers to provide assessment, support and referral.