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The Orange Door

1 Family violence reform overviewThe Victorian Government is developing the second Family Violence Reform Rolling Action Plan 2020 – 2023 (RAP2) as part of its commitment in the 10-year plan: ‘Ending Family Violence: Victoria’s plan for change’. RAP2 will be launched at the end of 2020 as the plan for the next phase of the long-term reform of Victoria’s family violence system.   

Over the period of the first RAP (2017 – 2020) we have delivered key parts of the reform and we are beginning to make a difference to the lives of victim survivors. For example, the first specialist family violence courts are up and running, investment in housing and support pathways is enabling us to help more families, quicker, with better and more stable housing options. More than 1,480 Victorian schools have signed on to the whole school approach to Respectful Relationships to create a culture of gender equality and respect and change the story of family violence for future generations

While more than two thirds of the Family Violence Royal Commission recommendations have now been implemented, we are nearly four years into a 10-year plan to rebuild the family violence system. Through RAP2 we will continue to deliver the key parts of the reform such as the continued roll out of The Orange Door, building a specialist family violence workforce and providing training in risk assessment (MARAM) and information sharing. We will have an increased focus on perpetrators and prevention which will embed the reforms to ensure the family violence system is sustainable and enduring. 

We will continue to incorporate what we have learnt so far, and from coronavirus (COVID -19), into the reform, to ensure it is responsive and adaptive. As the reform evolves from implementing the Royal Commission recommendations we will tell the community how we are going by measuring our progress through reporting against the Family Violence Outcomes Framework (FVOF).

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Our RAP2 priorities are 10 themes and projects that we will prioritise for the next three years to ensure we remain on course to deliver long-term reform.  

Underpinning the 10 priorities are these 3 principles which inform our approach to all our activity.

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Consultation content

The Orange DoorThis package of information highlights what government has done so far, and what it intends to do over the coming three years, to implement The Orange Door across Victoria and improve support for clients.

Priority area overview: summarises what government is doing and shows how The Orange Door supports the achievement of FVOF outcomes as we continue to implement Royal Commission Recommendations.

Achievements since 2016: showcases key achievements during RAP1.

Rolling action plan 2020–2023: sets out the activities government proposes to deliver for this priority over the next three years.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacts: reflects on how coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted The Orange Door.

Reform principles: shows how the three reform principles have been considered in designing The Orange Door.

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2 Priority area overview

Reform IntentThe Orange Door is a statewide network of support and safety hubs for adults, children and young people who are at risk of experiencing or have experienced family violence, and for families who need support with the care, development and wellbeing of children. 

The Orange Door provides a visible and accessible entry point to family violence services, Aboriginal services, children and family services, and services for perpetrators connecting to a broader network of safety and support.

How The Orange Door is delivering on our reform priorities

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The Family Violence Outcomes Framework (FVOF)The FVOF articulates the government’s vision to end family violence.

The four FVOF domains reflect the long term outcomes sought through the collective efforts of the reform.

The FVOF represent the key priorities in preventing and responding to family violence and clarifying what constitutes success.

Activities in this priority area will likely have the greatest impact in achieving outcomes against the following highlighted FVOF domains:

Royal Commission into Family Violence (RCFV)With more than two-thirds of the Family Violence Royal Commission recommendations now implemented, delivery of activities under this priority over the next three years will continue to support recommendation implementation. Updates will continue to be provided via the vic.gov.au website.

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3 Achievements since 2016

The Orange Door rolloutThe Orange Door has started operating across Victoria:

The Orange Door is open in five areas: the Bayside Peninsula, Barwon, North Eastern Melbourne, Mallee and Inner Gippsland

The Orange Door has brought together family violence services, Aboriginal services, family services and perpetrator services to form a strong partnership in each area and provide an integrated response to family violence and child and family wellbeing

51,157 responses were provided in the first year of The Orange Door operation

An evaluation of the establishment of the first four areas has informed implementation planning for the next areas to be established.

Tailored supportWe are coordinating support and helping people access the range of supports they need:

In 2018 – 2019:

o Risk and needs assessments conducted for 10,832 people (including children) to determine appropriate support for their safety and wellbeing.

o 2,486 Central Information Point reports helped to inform better risk management plans

o More than 4,000 people assisted by The Orange Door with crisis responses and short-term interventions (including brokerage funds)

Continued enhancement of the Client Relationship Management system is providing a single, accessible source of information to support practitioners in taking a whole of family view and planning integrated service responses to meet peoples’ needs

Support is tailored to each family’s needs, including allocating core service responses, referrals to broader services, and addressing risk and needs within The Orange Door where it is determined that immediate support is required.

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Collaborative workingWe are bringing together a specialist workforce:

More than 250 specialist practitioners are working together across a range of disciplines, drawing on each other’s knowledge and experience and providing a more integrated approach to the assessment and management of risk

Specialist leadership is provided through practice leadership roles such as Advanced Family Violence Practice Leaders, Integrated Practice Leaders, Aboriginal Practice Leaders and Senior Child Protection Practitioners

The Workforce Strategy for The Orange Door is supporting agencies with the unique challenges that arise from The Orange Door service delivery context, including delivering services under a new service model, integrated practice in a multi-agency environment, and a matrix management structure.

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4 Rolling action plan 2020 – 2023

Proposed activities

NB: Timeline milestones have been included where applicable; text in panels indicates an ongoing and/or non date specific activity.

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5 Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacts

Service delivery adaptation, learnings and innovations during coronavirus (COVID-19)The Orange Door continues to deliver essential intake, assessment and safety planning functions over the phone or online. Technology-based ways to communicate with clients and deliver services during physical distancing/social isolation periods have been expanded. Some work on sub-projects has been impacted, primarily due to the increased need to focus on immediate service delivery and operational service continuity. Work to identify and progress establishment of The Orange Door in the remaining areas has continued.

NB: This is an interim summary of the impacts, adaptations and innovations which have arisen as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19). These will continue to be monitored and considered as the final RAP is developed.  

The Orange Door service delivery Face-to-face services are provided for high risk and vulnerable clients where it has been

assessed that other means of supporting and providing a service are insufficient or unavailable.

Coordination has been maintained with workforces that are likely to intersect with family violence and child and family wellbeing in the coronavirus (COVID-19) context, such as primary healthcare workforces.

Family Safety Victoria (FSV) has developed a suite of MARAM (Multi-agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework) practice notes to support professionals, including The Orange Door practitioners, to respond to increased family violence risk during the coronavirus (COVID-19) period and to use technology safely.

The Orange Door statewide implementation FSV has prioritised supporting operations of The Orange Door and critical activities to keep

clients and staff safe during coronavirus (COVID-19).

The new two openings of The Orange Door – Central Highlands and Loddon – remain on track for 2020, and in Goulburn in 2021.

Further development of the 2020 – 2021 Stage Plan and progress on some of the sub-projects has been impacted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

Delivery of the second and third performance evaluations of The Orange Door have been significantly impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19); further planning is required to determine the scope and detail for future delivery.

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6 Reform principlesWe have considered the principles that underpin the reform in designing The Orange Door.

Lived Experience The lived experience of people continues to inform service design, development and planning

processes for The Orange Door.

The Client Partnership Strategy for The Orange Door outlines a suite of actions to move towards greater client partnership in all aspects of The Orange Door design, development and delivery, including increasing client representation in governance, reference and advisory groups.

The Client Voice process is gradually being introduced to capture information about the client experience of The Orange Door to inform continuous improvement.

A second evaluation of The Orange Door will seek to determine the impact and benefits of The Orange Door model for clients and gain critical insights into client experience.

Intersectionality The Orange Door has been designed to provide inclusive, responsive and accessible services

for individuals of any age, gender, ability, sex, sexuality, culture or religion.

The Everybody Matters: Inclusion and Equity Statement provides guidance to the family violence system to foster a more inclusive and responsive system for more people, regardless of gender, ability, sexual orientation, sex, ethnicity, religion, age or mental health.

Family Safety Victoria has developed an Inclusion Action Plan for The Orange Door to embed inclusion, access and equity in services and policies, and to build the capacity of workers to respond to diverse community members by applying an intersectional lens.

Aboriginal Self-Determination The Orange Door supports Aboriginal self-determination and works with Aboriginal

communities and services with the intention of ensuring Aboriginal people receive culturally safe and appropriate services.

The principles of self-determination are put into practice by: ensuring Aboriginal representation in Hub Leadership Groups and the establishment of the Aboriginal Advisory Groups in each area; choice in service offerings; embedding cultural safety; and employing an Aboriginal Practice Leader and workers to support work with Aboriginal clients.

Self-determination in implementation of The Orange Door is also supported by the Dhelk Dja Partnership Forum and working groups.

Three Aboriginal Access Points will be established by the end of 2021.

The Aboriginal Inclusion Action Plan, a three-year plan to embed inclusion, access and equity in The Orange Door, is under development.

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