Sense-making approaches

At the heart of our program of work is an ongoing, dynamic process of collective sense-making. This is critical to draw together analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, through partnering with service providers and service users to test, refine and contextualise insights, findings and recommendations. 

Safety Measures was established to help tell an evidence-driven story about specialist domestic and family violence service need, accessibility and effectiveness in Australia.   

Traditionally, research has tended to emphasise objectivity, downplaying how empirical knowledge is shaped by individual and collective values and worldviews. However, it’s crucial to recognise the imperialist, individualist and inherently gendered contexts in which knowledge is typically created, shared and applied to policy and practice – contexts that traditional evidence hierarchies ignore.  

Women’s, Aboriginal people’s and other diverse voices and experiences have historically been left out of what is considered relevant as evidence. These voices – of people who have experienced violence, of people who have sought support from the service system, and of people working in that system to prevent and respond to violence – must be central in our analysis.  

Recognising that partnership across knowledge systems can drive transformative change, we’ll develop inclusive, participatory approaches to facilitate collective and discursive analysis, challenge assumptions and enable knowledge sharing and co-creation.