Publications
Measurement with meaning: Emerging insights into what shapes demand, capacity and impact in specialist domestic and family violence services
Better measurement is not just about counting more. It’s about making better decisions. Without a well-evidenced understanding of the need, availability and impact of specialist domestic and family violence services, demand will continue to outstrip supply and our system will continue failing women, children and all people experiencing family violence.
Drawing on sector expertise, lived experience and existing evidence, this report highlights the limitations of current data systems and makes the case for more meaningful, ethical and context-rich measurement to better inform policy, funding and service system decisions.
Coming into view: Emerging insights from specialist DFV service data across jurisdictions
This is the first consolidated analysis of specialist domestic and family violence service data from the Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria, providing a picture of who is seeking support, why they seek it, and the help they receive. But it also shows significant blind spots in what the current data can tell us.
While these services support tens of thousands of victim survivors every year, behind every data point is a person seeking safety and the true scale and complexity of demand is not currently visible.
“It’s great to see this all put together because I don’t think we ever see [specialist DFV data separately], because we’re all lumped [in].”
Funding underpins the availability of workforce, infrastructure and service models to support people experiencing domestic and family violence. Understanding the funding landscape is critical for holding governments accountable and for developing and strengthening service systems. This paper provides an overview of the Safety Measures’ team’s initial efforts to map and assess publicly available information about funding for specialist domestic and family violence services in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria.
Further context and reflections on this project can be found on our blog.
Scoping funding estimation approaches
Embedding learning about Indigenous Data Sovereignty
The data Safety Measures is exploring reflects perspectives, stories and histories about people and organisations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and services. As a non-Aboriginal team, we have a responsibility to ensure data is used ethically, respectfully and in ways that uphold self-determination. This paper provides an overview of the structured learning and reflection process our team has undertaken to build capability around Indigenous Data Sovereignty.
Further reflections and links to First Nations scholars and organisations’ work can be found on our blog.
“Data matters. It informs decisions, drives investment and signals what systems value. But data is never neutral. Data must carry story, meaning and context. It must reflect the diversity of people’s lives, not reduce them to a single narrative or average experience.”
– Measurement with meaning